Russians Respect Obama But Feel Less Positive Than Before About U.S. – Poll

MOSCOW. Nov 7 (Interfax) – Russian citizens’ positive attitude to the United States has been waning over the past two years with the positive index dropping from 32 to 20 points, VTsIOM pollster told Interfax on Wednesday.

Fifty-three percent of respondents are positive about the United States compared to 59% in 2010, while the percentage of people feeling negatively about the U.S. has increased from 27% to 32%, VTsIOM said.

Most of respondents who have warm feelings about the U.S. are well-to-do citizens (65%), young people (63%), United Russia and A Just Russia supporters (59% and 61%, respectively) and people with a higher education (58%). The camp of U.S. opponents includes Communists (51%), low-income citizens (43%), and middle-aged citizens with a specialized general education (37% each).

The poll was conducted in mid-September in 138 populated areas of 46 regions, territories and republics.

The percentage of citizens who tend to assess Russian-American relations positively has decreased to 53% from 69% in 2010. Thirty-eight percent of those surveyed consider them normal, 10% good and 5% friendly.

Simultaneously, the percentage of citizens who see them in a negative light has grown to 42% compared to 23% two years earlier. Twenty-six percent of respondents see them as chilly, 14% tense and 2% hostile.

Supporters of the United Russia party are particularly positive about Russian-American relations (60%) and sympathizers of non-parliamentary parties and Communists feel negatively about bilateral relations (57% and 56%, respectively).

Whereas at the start of Obama’s term most Russians could not formulate their attitude to the U.S. president, today respect for the American citizens’ choice prevails, even though the U.S. president does not appeal to 40% of respondents, compared to 23% in 2009. One-fifth of respondents respect or like Obama compared to 29% in 2010 and they are, as a rule, educated citizens (23%) and residents of large cities (33%). Obama is disliked mostly by residents of smaller cities (31%) and supporters of the Liberal-Democratic Party (22%), VTsIOM said.