US civil engineers choose Obama

New research from recruitment consultants EPCglobal show more civil engineers favour Barack Obama to win the US elections, which will be held on Tuesday, with energy policy a deciding factor.

Civil engineers identified 'the economy/jobs' as the most important issue facing the US electorate (100% of respondents), with energy second at 98% and education third at 96%.

84% of civil engineers said 'Meeting our future need for more power' was the primary issue to be addressed, with 38% saying it was 'Opportunities presented by 'green collar job' creation'.

The choice for president was marginal, but in favour of Obama. John McCain is supported by 32%, and Barack Obama 36% of engineers. Almost one fifth of engineers think neither candidate has the solution and the rest are undecided.

Approval ratings for each candidates' energy policies were 54% for John McCain, and 56% for Barack Obama.

EPCglobal vice president Richard Spragg said: "Engineers have been giving us their opinions about the elections over many months and energy appeared to be a salient issue. The survey confirmed our general impression but also revealed that engineering fields have slightly different priorities.

"Interestingly, both sets of energy policies are rated almost equally when considered on their own merits. However, the research suggests McCain’s emphasis on issues such as energy supply security gives him a distinct lead with the majority of engineers, whilst civil engineers are more favorable to Obama's, such as how to how to curb per capita energy consumption."

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