MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Latinamericans prefer Obama over McCain three to one

US presidential McCain & Obama

A majority of Latin-Americans know little or nothing about the coming US presidential election but a modest majority, 29%, believe Democrat Barack Obama would be more convenient for the region, according to the 2008 version of the Santiago based Latino-barometer public opinion poll which included three questions on the issue.

The poll which covers 18 countries of the region with 1.000 to 1.200 interviews per country to adults over 18 with an error margin of 2.8 to 3 percentage points shows that 40% of Latinamericans declare to know about, and follow the US presidential election. When asked specifically which candidate would be more convenient for Latinamerica, an average 29% mentioned Obama and only 8% John McCain, while another 29% said it made no difference, 31% did not know and 2% did not reply The country with greater knowledge of US elections is Dominican Republic, 60%, followed by Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica and El Salvador, in the range of 50% while bottom of the list is Paraguay with 22%. Obama is the favourite candidate in Dominican Republic, 52%; Costa Rica, 43%; Uruguay and Brazil, 41%; Argentina, 36%; Chile, 32%; Mexico, 29%; Paraguay, Ecuador and Colombia, 27%; Venezuela, 26%; Peru, 23% and El Salvador, 22%. Below 20% come Nicaragua, Panama, Bolivia, Guatemala and Honduras. McCain is the choice in Colombia, 19%; El Salvador, 16%; Mexico, 11%; Brazil, 10%; Honduras, 9%; Costa Rica, Guatemala and Venezuela, 8%; Ecuador, 7%; Panamá, Paraguay, Chile, Uruguay and Nicaragua, 6%; Bolivia, 5%; Peru, 4% and 3% in Argentina. As to how much attention the new US president will dedicate to Latinamerica, replies are more diverse: 39% Dominican Republic; 31% Brazil; 29% Costa Rica and Uruguay; Venezuela and Mexico, 27%; Colombia, 25%; Argentina and Paraguay, 24%; Nicaragua, 21%; Chile and Ecuador, 19%; Peru, 16%; Guatemala and Panama, 15%. Who are most pessimistic about the next US president and Latinamerica are Argentines and Mexicans, 44%; El Salvador, 41%; Chile, 40%; Costa Rica, 39%; Honduras and Brazil, 35% and 32% Uruguay.