Polls in 10 countries show US allies prefer Kerry

Polls commissioned by newspapers in 10 countries show that most citizens in US allies prefer John Kerry to George Bush, Britain's Guardian newspaper reported yesterday.

Voters in eight US allies - Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Japan, Mexico, Spain and South Korea - all said by wide margins that they would prefer to see the Massachusetts senator beat the incumbent US president in the election on November 2.

Of the 10 countries that participated, those polled in only two - Israel and Russia - preferred Mr Bush.

On average, voters in the 10 countries favoured Mr Kerry by a margin of 54 per cent to 27 per cent.

The polls were commissioned by newspapers in each of the countries, including the Guardian, France's le Monde, Spain's El Pais and Japan's Asahi Shimbun. Each was carried out by a local polling firm; the Guardian's by pollsters ICM.

The Guardian, a left-leaning newspaper that opposed the war in Iraq, said the results showed Mr Bush "has squandered a wealth of sympathy around the world since September 11".

By wide margins, voters in all the countries but Israel and South Korea said their opinions of the United States had worsened over the past two or three years. In all, 57 per cent said their view of America had worsened, while only 20 per cent said it improved.

Yet despite their worsening opinion of America, 68 per cent of those polled still said they like Americans as people. Respondents said they still believe US democracy is an example to other nations, by a margin of 52 to 42.

Predictably, France, which strongly opposed the war in Iraq, was the most pro-Kerry country of the 10. The senator was favoured by 72 per cent, against 16 per cent for Mr Bush. But Mr Kerry also wins in Washington's closest battlefield ally Britain, by a margin of 50 per cent to 22 per cent.

Mexicans prefer Mr Kerry to Mr Bush 55-20, Spaniards 58-13, and Australians 54-28. Israelis prefer Mr Bush by a margin of 50 per cent to 24 per cent.

Asked if they believe the war in Iraq has "contributed to the fight against terrorism around the world", Britons and Canadians said yes and South Koreans were undecided, but the French, Spaniards, Japanese and Mexicans said no by wide margins.