GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON NJ -- Russians this weekend elected Vladimir Putin as president, albeit by a smaller margin than predicted, and, with a public mandate now behind him, Putin faces the task of governing this large and troubled nation. It is unclear at this stage what his election means for U.S.-Russian relations, but Gallup polls continue to indicate that the leader faces a United States population which holds more negative than positive attitudes toward his country. Additionally, a majority of the U.S. public remains unconvinced that Russia is a U.S. ally or even a friendly nation.
The latest Gallup poll indicates that 51% of American adults hold unfavorable opinions of Russia, with 12% saying they have a "very unfavorable" view of the country. In contrast, four of 10 Americans have a favorable opinion of Russia, with 5% saying they hold a "very favorable" view of Russia. The latest figures are generally in line with more recent polls on the topic. Polls conducted between 1994 and 1997, however, showed that more Americans (in most cases, a majority) had favorable opinions of the country.
There are partisan and ideological differences in opinion toward Russia, although perhaps not as large as might be expected. Forty-eight percent of Democrats have an unfavorable opinion of Russia, compared to 55% of Republicans. Similarly, 43% of self-identified liberals rate Russia unfavorably, compared to 58% of conservatives. Additionally, older Americans, who are most likely to remember the long years of the Cold War with Russia, are more negative than younger Americans: 58% of those 65 years and older have unfavorable attitudes, compared to just 38% of those aged 18-29.
Americans' ambivalent feelings toward Russia are evident in their perceptions of the nature of the diplomatic relationship between the United States and Russia. In the latest poll, respondents were asked whether they felt Russia was an ally of the U.S., a friendly nation but not an ally, an unfriendly nation but not an enemy, or an enemy of the U.S. Opinion is split, with 43% believing Russia is a friendly nation toward the U.S. (9% say it is an ally, and 34% say it is friendly), and 40% thinking Russia is an unfriendly nation (26% say it is unfriendly, and 14% think it is an enemy). More Americans think Russia is an unfriendly nation today than a year ago, when 32% thought it was unfriendly.
Survey Methods
The results below are based on telephone interviews with a randomly
selected national sample of 1,050 adults, 18 years and older,
conducted March 17-19, 2000. Each item reported here was asked of
approximately half the sample. For results based on these half
samples, one can say with 95 percent confidence that the maximum
error attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or
minus 4 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question
wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can
introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion
polls.
Now I would like your overall opinion of some foreign countries. Is your overall opinion of...[ROTATED]...very favorable, mostly favorable, mostly unfavorable, or very unfavorable?
BASED ON -- 505 -- NATIONAL ADULTS IN FORM A; PLUS OR MINUS 4 PCT PTS
| Very favorable | Mostly favorable | Mostly unfavorable | Very unfavorable | No opinion | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | % | |
| Russia | |||||
| 2000 Mar 17-19 | 5 | 35 | 39 | 12 | 9 |
| Nov 4-7, 1999 | 4 | 34 | 44 | 14 | 4 |
| May 7-9, 1999 | 4 | 42 | 36 | 13 | 5 |
| Apr 13-14, 1999 | 3 | 30 | 45 | 14 | 8 |
| Feb 8-9, 1999 | 6 | 38 | 34 | 10 | 12 |
| Nov 21-23, 1997 | 7 | 49 | 29 | 7 | 8 |
| Mar 8-10, 1996 | 6 | 46 | 29 | 10 | 9 |
| Apr 21-24, 1995 | 5 | 44 | 32 | 12 | 7 |
| Feb 26-28, 1994 | 8 | 48 | 28 | 11 | 5 |
For each of the following countries, please describe your view of the relationship between that country and the United States. First, would you say [ROTATED] is an ally, friendly but not an ally, unfriendly but not an enemy, an enemy of the United States, or haven't you heard enough about that to say?
BASED ON -- 519 -- NATIONAL ADULTS IN FORM B; PLUS OR MINUS 4 PCT PTS
| An ally | Friendly, not ally | Unfriendly, not enemy | Enemy of the U.S. | Don't know enough to say | No opinion | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | % | % | |
| Russia | ||||||
| 2000 Mar 17-19 | 9 | 34 | 26 | 14 | 16 | 1 |
| 1999 Apr 13 | 2 | 44 | 27 | 5 | 20 | 2 |
Now I am going to read you a list of countries, some of which have -- and some of which do not have -- nuclear weapons. As I read each one, please tell me whether you think possession of nuclear weapons by that country would pose a serious threat to the United States, or not. [ROTATED]
BASED ON -- 505 -- NATIONAL ADULTS IN FORM A; PLUS OR MINUS 4 PCT PTS
| Yes, serious threat | No, not serious threat | No opinion | |
|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | |
| Russia | |||
| 2000 Mar 17-19 | 73 | 23 | 4 |
| 1998 Jun 5-7 | 46 | 53 | 1 |
Now I am going to read you a list of countries, some of which have -- and some of which do not have -- nuclear weapons. As I read each one, please tell me whether you think possession of nuclear weapons by that country would pose a serious threat to world peace, or not. [ROTATED]?
BASED ON -- 519 -- NATIONAL ADULTS IN FORM B; PLUS OR MINUS 4 PCT PTS
| Yes, serious threat | No, not serious threat | No opinion | |
|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | |
| Russia | |||
| 2000 Mar 17-19 | 75 | 22 | 3 |
| 1998 Jun 5-7 | 48 | 48 | 4 |
