World opinion backs Kerry against Bush in US polls

George W. Bush's policies have stirred up deep global resentment and the world would much prefer John Kerry to be the next US president, research by leading global newspapers published yesterday showed.

A collaborative polling exercise involving 10 newspapers around the world, including the Sydney Morning Herald in Australia, showed hostility is directed not only at the Bush administration but also at the image of the United States.

The project, initiated by Canada's Quebec-based La Presse newspaper, also included France's Le Monde, The Guardian of Britain, Japan's Asahi Shimbun, Russia's Moscow News, Mexico's Reforma, Israel's Haaretz and Spain's El Pais.

They found that voters in eight out of the 10 countries -- excluding Israel and Russia -- want to see Kerry, the Democrat challenger beat the Republican Bush in the November 2 presidential election.

Their findings, the product of identical polls taken in September, also suggested the Bush administration was facing isolation and hostility rarely seen among its closest allies.

In most of the countries surveyed, including Australia, opinions towards the United States deteriorated over the first Bush term.

"Only Israel, lockstep with the US in terms of foreign policy objectives and delivery, ran against the trend," the Herald said.

Of Israelis surveyed, 40 percent said their attitude towards the US had improved over the past two or three years, while 26 percent said their view had soured.

"This contrasts with the response elsewhere," the paper said. "In Canada, 64 percent said their attitude had worsened, France 70 percent, Britain 45 percent, Japan 74 percent, South Korea 67 percent and Australia 54 percent."

Traditional rival Russia had recently embraced it "with the zeal of a convert," supporting Bush by 52-48 over Kerry while 86 percent were favourably disposed towards Americans. However, they opposed the Iraq war by 54-39.

The Australian research, conducted by ACNielsen, showed most Australians disliked Bush and that their opinion of the United States had deteriorated during his presidency.

The poll of 1,417 respondents showed 54 percent of Australians supported Kerry while only 28 percent backed Bush.

The Australian poll came on the heels of last week's national elections in which Prime Minister John Howard, a close friend and ally of Bush, won a fourth term with an increased majority.

Research in July showed 55 percent of Australians thought the Iraq war was not justified, although opposition to the war and Australia's decision to join the US-led coalition played little part in the election.

However the poll showed Australians remained strongly committed to the alliance with the United States, with 92 percent favouring continuing good relations with the United States.

The poll for the Guardian in Britain showed that despite the so-called "special relationship" between London and Washington, and Prime Minister Tony Blair's strong support for Bush, the US leader is a deeply unpopular figure in Britain.

The poll, conducted for The Guardian by ICM research, showed Kerry would be backed by 50 percent of Britons, against just 22 percent for Bush.