Aug. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Germans overwhelmingly back Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama over Republican contender John McCain, a poll showed, though a majority said the U.S. election outcome won't affect relations with Europe.

Seventy-four percent of Germans say they would prefer Obama as president, with only 11 percent supporting McCain, according to the Forsa survey for N-TV and Die Welt newspaper. Among Germans under 30 years old, 84 percent said they back the Democratic senator from Illinois.

Obama boosted his popularity in Germany last month when he delivered a speech in Berlin's central Tiergarten park that drew some 200,000 people. Germans also favor positions held by Obama such as his opposition to the Iraq war, combating global warming and greater engagement with European allies.

Democrats open their four-day national convention in Denver today leading up to Obama's formal nomination Aug. 28. Obama on Aug. 23 chose as his running mate Delaware Senator Joseph Biden, a Democratic expert in foreign policy.

Still, 56 percent of those surveyed said that they felt the results of the presidential election in November won't affect Washington's relationship with Europe or with Germany. Thirty- eight percent said they thought it would, according to the poll.

Obama has 88 percent support among backers of the Social Democratic Party, the coalition partner of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union. Among Green Party voters, Obama has 84 percent support, and 87 percent among Left Party backers. The poll didn't give any figure for support among Christian Democrat voters.

Seventy-two percent of those polled said Obama's message of change was more important that McCain's political experience. Nineteen percent said McCain's experience was decisive.

Forsa surveyed 1,009 people on Aug. 20-21. No margin of error was given.

To contact the reporter on this story: Patrick Donahue in Berlin at at pdonahue1@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: August 25, 2008 03:38 EDT