Foreigners Prefer Gore Over Bush by 3-to-1
Planet Project Global Poll Finds Much of the World Amused and
Confused by U.S. Election Count
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 18, 2000--Al Gore would emerge as the clear winner, by a 3-1 margin,
if people living outside the United States were allowed to vote in the U.S. presidential election, according to respondents to the
Planet Project global poll conducted in 250 countries around the world.
In addition, when asked who would be better at handling foreign problems, the respondents picked Gore by a nearly 4-1
margin. The results are based on the first 6,000 responses from around the globe. Switzerland, Denmark, Spain, Austria and
Costa Rica favor Gore the most.
In the United States, the Planet Project confirmed what the election itself has found: the race is too close to call, with both
candidates in a virtual tie among poll respondents. However, 85 percent of the 19,000 Americans polled said the election
situation would make them more inclined to vote next time. And four out of five Americans, and three out of five people in the
rest of the world, believe the media should be prohibited from reporting results before the polls close.
If the election were held outside the United States, Gore would win by a landslide. In fact, of 32 countries with the highest
number of responses, Gore received a majority or a plurality everywhere except Malaysia, which preferred Bush by 3-1.
Gore's strongest support came from Switzerland and Germany, where more than 80 percent of the respondents preferred him.
He received more than 70 percent of the responses in Algeria, Austria, Denmark, France, Ireland and Italy.
The results were announced today by Humphrey Taylor of Harris Interactive, who is analyzing results from the Planet Project, a
global Internet-based opinion poll on a variety of topics affecting people's lives. On Friday, as the contested U.S. presidential
election remained unresolved, questions assessing public reaction to the situation were added.
``The margin for Gore is big but not surprising,'' Taylor said. ``Almost always, most of the rest of the world is more sympathetic
to Democratic candidates and sees Republicans as too conservative.''
The Planet Project began Wednesday and was scheduled to end today. Bruce Claflin, president and COO of 3Com
Corporation, which is underwriting the project, said the online poll has been extended through Dec. 7 because it has started a
global conversation and exchange of ideas ``that we are committed to continuing.''
``People around the world are clearly enjoying the chance to share their opinions with others on matters we all care about,''
Claflin said.
The new political section of the poll received nearly 25,000 responses, 19,000 from the United States. The largest number of
responses from abroad are from Canada, Australia, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Norway, Germany, Brazil, Chile, Spain,
Argentina, Colombia, Denmark, France and Italy.
Among the more surprising places the Planet Project heard from were Benin, Burundi, Cape Verde Islands, Malawi, Armenia,
Brunei, Kyrgyzstan, French Polynesia, the Marianas, Albania, Gibraltar, Lichtenstein, Vatican City, Greenland and St. Kitts.
Other key findings are:
When asked what their reaction is to the U.S. election, 55 percent of people outside the United States said the situation
``makes me laugh.'' A third answered that it is ``very confusing,'' as did 19 percent of the respondents in the United
States.
Nearly 20 percent of the Planet Project respondents around the world said ``it makes me happy'' that America is having
a hard time deciding who won.
In the United States, a quarter of the people surveyed said they could not understand why ``Americans can't count
ballots accurately.'' In the rest of the world, about half of the respondents agreed with that reaction. ``It seems the rest of
the world expects more from us than we do,'' Taylor said.
One in seven people in the United States, and one in three in the rest of the world, said the election seems to be ``unfair
and undemocratic.''
Approximately a third of the people surveyed in the United States and in other countries said they worry that ``the
election will weaken the next president.''
While only Americans can participate in the U.S. election, a quarter of people responding outside the United States said
that the election affects their daily lives and a third think that the rest of the world should be able to express their opinions
on who would be the better president.
The Planet Project gives people an unparalleled opportunity to share their views and instantly compare their responses with
other people around the world. The Planet Project is specifically designed to include the voices of people without access to the
Internet. To that end, thousands of volunteers headed to some of the most remote spots on earth, as well as to urban areas, to
offer the poll to those without access to technology. The results are being analyzed by Harris Interactive, the global leader in
online market research, with an existing database of more than 7 million online panelists.
3Com originally conceived of the global poll and has underwritten the project with support from many other leading technology
companies, including: Harris Interactive, Sun Microsystems, Akamai Technologies, Inc., Oracle Corporation, BEA, Mercury
Interactive, Macromedia, Eucid, AT&T, LightPoint and Euphorion. |
