The BBC conducted a 21,000-person poll of 21 nations asking the question, “If the world could vote in U.S. presidential elections, who would win?”

Turns out it’s President Obama, and by a wide margin. On average, 50 percent favored Obama, while only 9 percent preferred Gov. Romney. Out of the 21 countries surveyed, all but one would grant the president another four years in office. The one favoring Romney? Pakistan, although Kenya had the highest percentage of individuals voting for Romney. Both France and Spain re-elected the president by the largest margin; in France he won 72 percent of the electorate.

This result, however, raises the question of why the world wants to see Obama continue to lead the United States. There are a few possible reasons: better for them, better for us or better for everyone. Now certainly none of these are exclusive, and all have their dichotic equal (i.e “worse for us”), but let’s focus on those three countries on the extreme ends of the spectrum.

France and Spain “re-elected” President Obama by the largest margin over any of the other countries. In May, France, a republic, elected Francois Hollande over Nicolas Sarkozy, making him the second Socialist elected to the French presidency. Mr. Hollande laid out a national budget in September to cut the public deficit by increasing the top tax rate to 75 percent for those whose incomes exceed $1.3 million. France is at zero-growth, the trade deficit sits at record levels, and industrial confidence is the lowest it’s been in three years.

Interestingly, the French election in May seems to mirror the choice many Americans feel they face today: Pick the new guy because the old guy isn’t working like we thought he would.

Those who decry Mr. Obama as a socialist himself will make an immediate connection between the French and the popularity of Obama. However, it is important to note that, at the time the BBC survey was conducted, the French were not entirely please with Hollande’s government: 64 percent of the French said they were unhappy, and only 10 percent believed that France had shown improvement since his inauguration. Clearly something else is driving the Obama “vote.”

Spain’s economic picture looks worse than France’s. Unemployment is at 24.4 percent, and Spanish debt has been downgraded by Standard and Poor’s to “near junk status.” Much of the deficit trouble has been inflated by regional debt. Each of Spain’s 17 regions is semiautonomous, much like a U.S. state: They regulate and run education, the police force, health and social services, and economic and cultural development. Catalonia alone requested $23 billion in emergency funding.

Both of these countries have strong central governments, have universal health care, allow same-sex marriage, have legalized abortion and have a drinking age of 18. Neither is doing particularly well at the moment, yet both, overwhelmingly, supported Barack Obama.

On the other end of the political spectrum is Pakistan, the only country to elect Romney in the BBC survey. Pakistan has many problems, many of which have fallen through the cracks in Western media’s net. In the last two years the country has fought not only external enemies but sectarian terrorist groups that attack minorities. Apart from the those threats, Pakistan has had massive flooding and an electricity shortage that caused chronic blackouts and forced the government to restrict power. The shortage hit an all-time high in 2011. Pakistan struggles as a result of the global economic crisis too. In 2010, its deficit was the highest in the country’s history and only looks to get bigger.

Though Pakistan was created as an explicitly Muslim state, the battle between its Islamic and secular parts has never been as prominent as it has been in recent years. Homosexual acts are illegal, and members of the LGBT community have no civil rights to protect them. Pakistan is divided radically among gender lines, relegating its women to positions only under men — if they are allowed to hold positions at all. But these conservative positions are slowly changing.

Certainly the continuous drone attacks under President Obama make him an unfavorable candidate as president. But Romney has supported the use of those same drones. Regardless of who is president, though, policy toward Pakistan is unlikely to change.

With the election over, every American — or at least the percent of Americans who do vote — had the opportunity to cast the ballot for who they think will point America in the correct direction to keep it on pace with the rest of the world. The world itself has spoken, loudly and in great volume to keep Barack Obama in office. Today we see if Americans are in agreement.

Sarah is a senior in LAS. She can be reached at [email protected].