Attitudes to Russia Worsening, Poll Says

Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – May 23, 2013) People’s attitudes to Russia’s global role continue to deteriorate, particularly in the U.S., according to a poll conducted in 25 countries by the BBC.

Respondents in only eight of the countries polled had predominantly positive perceptions of Russia, while in 15 countries people expressed negative views, Gazeta.ru said.

Overall, only 30 percent of the international respondents viewed Russia in a positive light, 1 percent less than in a similar poll one year ago.

Meanwhile, the BBC reported a sharp rise in negative attitudes toward Russia in the U.S., from 47 percent a year ago to 59 percent now.

The most favorable attitudes to Russia were registered in Ghana and China, with 56 and 44 percent, respectively.

Russia’s popularity among the citizens of Western countries was the lowest among all categories. In France, 63 percent of those polled had a negative perception of the country, compared to 61 percent in Germany and 57 percent in Britain.

It was the first such poll since Vladimir Putin’s return to the Kremlin, the BBC said.

Notably, Russians’ attitude to their country’s role in the world has followed the downward trend, as only 58 percent responded positively, 14 percent less than in 2012.

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