According to a new Pew Research Centre survey, a majority of Indians have a favourable opinion of Russia.
India is the only country that has such a viewpoint. A median of 82% of people in 24 countries have an unfavourable view of Russia, and a comparable proportion have no confidence in Putin to do the right thing regarding global affairs.
The report is based on a recent Pew Research Centre survey conducted among 30,861 individuals in 24 countries from 20 February to 22 May 2023.
India’s Favourable Opinion of Russia
The survey includes eight middle-income countries that Pew Research Centre has not surveyed since 2019 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic and related problems in conducting face-to-face interviews. Russia and Putin are seen unfavourably in these nations, except in India and Indonesia.
According to the research, 57% of Indians now have a favourable opinion of Russia, up from 49% four years ago. Moreover, 59% of Indians continue to have confidence in Putin, up from 42% in 2019.
During the survey, respondents, in countries across Europe as well as in India, where Russian oil access is a particularly pressing problem, were asked whether being tough with Russia on Ukraine or maintaining access to Russia’s oil and reserves was more important when assessing their country’s ties with Russia.
In India, while just about two out of ten people agreed with the former statement, more than seven out of ten people believe that maintaining access to Russia’s oil and gas reserves is more crucial.
The report stated that India, which has refrained from explicitly denouncing the Russian invasion of Ukraine, is the only country where a majority views Russia favourably and has confidence in Putin.
Large Shares See Russia and Putin in Negative Light, While Views of Zelenskyy More Mixedhttps://t.co/UXa7mLHbGY pic.twitter.com/vcoVnKlvIU
— Pew Research Global (@pewglobal) July 12, 2023
Global Sentiment Against Russia
In contrast, views on Russia are predominantly negative across the 24 nations surveyed, with a median of 82% having an unfavourable opinion of the country, compared to 15% having a favourable view.
Except for five nations, majorities hold a negative view of Russia. The survey concluded that this figure is at least nine in ten in Australia, the Netherlands, Japan, Poland, Spain, Sweden, the UK, and the US.
According to the report, Poles have the most unfavourable towards Russia, with 98% expressing a negative opinion of the country and 90% holding an unfavourable view.
Confidence in Zelenskyy ranges from 86% in Sweden to just 11% in Hungary. Besides Hungary, half or more do not have confidence in the Ukrainian leader in Greece, Mexico, Italy, Israel, Brazil and Argentina.https://t.co/C5wglTL8ut pic.twitter.com/5COlODHDtR
— Pew Research Global (@pewglobal) July 14, 2023
Positive Opinion on Ukraine’s Zelensky
Majorities in about half of the nations surveyed express confidence in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Views are most favourable in Europe, where more than seven out of ten people in the Netherlands, Sweden, and the UK believe Zelensky will do the right thing in world affairs. Whereas, majorities in Greece, Hungary, and Italy indicate no confidence in Zelensky.
According to the survey, confidence in the Ukrainian President varies by ideology, with a fairly mixed relationship. A median of 51% across 24 nations believe Zelensky will do the right thing in international affairs, while 39% say they have little or no confidence.