Russians say Moscow-Washington relations got worse under Obama – poll

(Interfax – November 6, 2014) Sixty-seven percent of Russian citizens recently interviewed by the Levada Center believe that relations between Russia and the United States have grown worse in the Obama era, the center’s sociologists told Interfax.

A mere 9 percent of respondents said they see positive changes in ties between the two countries, 16 percent believe that these relations remain the same, and 8 percent were undecided.

The survey was conducted in 130 Russian cities and villages on October 24-27 and involved 1,630 people.

Seventy-six percent of respondents spoke negatively of U.S. President Barack Obama, another 16 percent said they have a neutral attitude to him, and a mere 2 percent of those polled expressed a positive opinion of the U.S. leader. Another 5 percent of respondents said that the name of Barack Obama is familiar to them, but they do not know who he is.

When asked to express their attitude toward German Chancellor Angela Merkel, 50 percent of Russian respondents spoke negatively of her, 30 percent voiced a neutral attitude, and 8 percent a positive attitude. Nine percent of those polled said they do not know who this person is.

As far as French President Francois Hollande is concerned, 31 percent of Russians treat him neutrally, 30 percent negatively, 5 percent positively, and 24 percent do not know who he is.

In the case of UK Prime Minister David Cameron, 35 percent of respondents to the Levada Center’s survey said they treat him negatively, 25 percent neutrally, 4 percent positively, and 26 percent do not know who he is.