Washington  - Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama gets far higher marks from the global population than his Republican rival John McCain, according to a global opinion poll released Thursday.

Obama had a higher favourability rating than McCain in 20 of 22 countries surveyed in the annual Pew Global Attitudes Project, where people were asked whether they had confidence in each candidate to "do the right thing" in world affairs. Majorities in 12 of 22 countries said they had confidence in Obama.

McCain received positive ratings only in Tanzania and Britain. Middle Eastern countries, as well as Turkey and China, had little confidence in either candidate.

But strong majorities in Western Europe, Africa and East Asia believed the US approach to foreign policy will improve under either candidate after President George W Bush leaves the White House in 2009.

McCain has long had a reputation as a maverick Republican in the United States, but Democrats have launched a major effort to tie McCain to the unpopular Bush administration, in large part over his support for the war in Iraq.

Majorities or pluralities in 14 of the 22 countries believed US foreign policy would "change for the better" under a new president - including more than 60 per cent in France, Spain, Germany, South Africa, Nigeria and Tanzania.

Obama's highest favourability ratings were in France and Tanzania (both 84 per cent) and Germany (82 per cent), according to the Pew survey. (dpa)