Editor's update: Gallup Polls just completed in China, Armenia, and Bolivia have now been added to this report, and overall findings have been adjusted to reflect the results. The global survey now represents nearly three-quarters of the world's population, with China's high percentage of "don't know" responses slightly reducing the margin by which world citizens prefer Barack Obama to John McCain.

Gallup Polls conducted in 73 countries from May to October 2008 reveal widespread international support for Democratic Sen. Barack Obama over Republican Sen. John McCain in the U.S. presidential election. Among these nations, representing nearly three-quarters of the world's population, 24% of citizens say they would personally rather see Obama elected president of the United States, compared with just 7% who say the same about McCain. At the same time, 69% of world citizens surveyed did not have an opinion.

World citizens are more divided over whether the outcome of the U.S. election makes a difference to their country, with 26% saying it does and 22% saying it does not. Moreover, 52% of those surveyed did not have an opinion.

The following map displays the findings by country, and the analyses on the right side of this page examine findings by region and within selected individual nations.

Overall, citizens in Europe are the most likely to state a preference for the next president of the United States and to think the election makes a difference to their country. Citizens in Asia are the least likely to state a preference for the next president of the United States and to think the election makes a difference to their country. In individual countries, only Georgia and the Philippines prefer McCain to Obama by a statistically significant margin.

To learn more about the Gallup World Poll and to experience the WorldView, click here.