Two-thirds of Canadians would re-elect President Obama

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Two-thirds of Canadians would re-elect U.S. President Barack Obama if they had a choice, according to a poll from GlobeScan conducted for the BBC World Service.

Only 9 per cent of Canadians would pick Republican Mitt Romney as president, while the rest have no preference between the two.

Support for the Democratic candidate was highest in Quebec, with 79 per cent, and lowest in Alberta and British Columbia, both with 60 per cent. However, 15 per cent of Albertans would choose Mr. Romney, while 14 per cent of British Columbians said there was "no difference" between the two candidates.

Women were more likely to want to vote for Mr. Obama, 71 per cent to 62 per cent, while men were only slightly more likely to pick Mr. Romney. Canadians over the age of 65 were the most likely to support Mr. Obama, with 76 per cent, while young Canadians were less likely to have a preference.

The poll of Canadians was conducted as part of a global survey that contacted nearly 22,000 people from 21 countries.

Mr. Obama's support in Canada – 66 per cent, unchanged since 2008 – is second only to his base in France and Australia, who chose him with 72 per cent and 67 per cent, respectively.

Mr. Obama's numbers fell the most in Kenya, where he was the pick of 87 per cent of respondents in 2008 and 66 per cent this year.

China, Malaysia, Japan and India all registered support for Mr. Obama in the high 20s to low 30s.

Only one country had net-positive votes for Mr. Romney – Pakistan. But of the more than 2,000 Pakistanis surveyed, only 14 per cent liked Mr Romney while 11 per cent liked Mr. Obama. The overwhelming majority had no preference.

GlobeScan conducted the survey of 1,002 Canadians by phone from July 20 to August 8. The poll has a margin of error of 3.1 per cent, 19 times out of 20.