Russians like EU more than USA – poll

(Interfax – August 2, 2013) The Russians’ attitude toward the USA is gradually getting worse, Russian Interfax news agency reported on 2 August, quoting a poll carried out by Levada Centre sociologists in July.

Compared with 2010, positive views of the USA have dropped from 60 per cent to 53 per cent, and negative views grown from 27 per cent to 36 per cent.

According to the Levada Centre, the Russians like the European Union more than the USA: 64 per cent of those polled said they liked the EU, and 24 per cent spoke about their negative attitude, which is almost like it was three years ago (66 per cent and 19-20 per cent respectively).

The Levada Centre poll shows Belarus’s positive ratings rising in Russia: currently 88 per cent of Russians like that country, compared with 66 per cent three years ago. Negative views of Belarus have dropped from 22 per cent in 2011 to 7 per cent this year.

Positive views of Ukraine are also on the rise in Russia, from 65 per cent in 2011 to 77 per cent in July 2013. The number of those who view Ukraine negatively has dropped by eight points from 26 per cent in 2011 to 18 per cent, the survey showed.