GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ - With elections in Russia now set for March 26, acting Russian President Vladimir Putin is poised to succeed Boris Yeltsin at a time when U.S. public opinion of Russia is more negative than in recent years. In a Gallup survey conducted last fall, only 38% of Americans had a favorable opinion of Russia, while 58% viewed it unfavorably. Other measures of U.S.-Russia relations in 1999 indicate that Americans were growing uncomfortable with the leadership of Yeltsin, and are reluctant to view Russia as an ally.
Across four different measures in 1999, including several taken last spring when Russia opposed the U.S.-backed NATO military action in Yugoslavia, Russia's average image rating among Americans was just 40% favorable, and 58% unfavorable. These ratings are down significantly from earlier this decade, when up to 66% of the public had a positive view of Russia and fewer than one-third viewed it negatively.
Of course, today's "negative" bent toward Russia must be understood in relative terms. In 1954, the first year the Gallup Poll rated American attitudes toward the then Soviet Union, 88% of the public had an unfavorable impression of its Cold War foe and only 5% had a favorable view. This level of animosity toward the Soviet Union was maintained until the late 1980s.
That negative perception changed dramatically between 1987 and 1989 -- the period when Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev initiated his "glasnost" and "perestroika" reform policies in the USSR and engaged in an historically friendly political relationship with a U.S. leader, President Ronald Reagan. Between 1987 and 1989, the percentage of Americans viewing Russia favorably jumped from 25% to 62%, while the unfavorable view dropped from 71% to 29%. Favorable ratings of Russia remained above 50% for most of Gorbachev's tenure and well into Yeltsin's. However, in the spring of 1999, coincident with America's involvement in Yugoslavia -- which was opposed by Russia -- that favorable rating fell to only 33%, and remained below 50% throughout the year.
Yeltsin's Popularity in U.S. Waned in 1999
At the same time American attitudes toward Russia turned negative,
public support for Boris Yeltsin showed significant decline. Before
stepping down as President of Russia this New Year's Eve, Gallup
polls showed that American support for the first popularly elected
president in that country had declined since his early days in
office. When first measured in 1993, two years into Yeltsin's first
term, Gallup found 62% of Americans believed the U.S. should
continue to support Boris Yeltsin. That dropped into the 50s in
1998 and 1999, and below 50% when last asked in April 1999. At that
time, only 48% of Americans thought the U.S. should continue to
support Yeltsin, while 42% disagreed.
Many Still Wary of Russia
Gallup questions over the past two years on a variety of issues
related to Russia indicate that Americans view the post-Cold War
alliance with Russia with some caution and skepticism. For
example:
- A Gallup poll taken in April 1999 found that only 2% of Americans considered Russia an ally of the United States. Another 44% described Russia as "friendly, but not an ally," while almost one-third, 32%, viewed Russia as either unfriendly or an outright enemy. The remaining 22% said they were unsure which of the four characterizations best described the U.S.-Russia relationship.
- In a February 1998 poll, only 37% of Americans said they believed Russia would be a reliable ally in a time of serious crisis, while the majority, 58%, said it would not be reliable.
- Forty-eight percent told Gallup last April that Russia was still a significant military threat to the United States, while 42% didn't think so.
- A late 1998 survey by Gallup for the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations found 44% of Americans predicted Russia would play a lesser role in the next ten years, while an equal number said it would play a greater role.
- There are indications that Americans may be mindful of the economic and corruption problems now facing Russia. A November 1999 question on the 10th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall found only 50% of Americans said Russia is now better off as a result of the Wall coming down, while 40% said it is worse off. By contrast, 82% perceived that this event, which symbolized the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, led to better conditions in Germany.
Survey Methods
Latest results for all trends shown below are based on telephone
interviews with a randomly selected national sample of at least
1,000 national adults, 18 years and older. Exact survey dates are
shown for each question. For results based on sample of this
approximate size, one can say with 95 percent confidence that the
maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is
plus or minus 3 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.
Next, I'd like your overall opinion of some foreign countries. Is your overall opinion of Russia very favorable, mostly favorable, mostly unfavorable, or very unfavorable?
| Total Favorable | Total Unfavorable | No Opinion | |
|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | |
| 1999 Nov. 4-7 | 38 | 58 | 4 |
| 1999 May 7-9 | 46 | 49 | 5 |
| 1999 Apr. 13-14 | 33 | 59 | 8 |
| 1999 Feb. 8-9 | 44 | 44 | 12 |
| 1996 Mar. 8-10 | 52 | 39 | 9 |
| 1995 Apr. 21-24 | 49 | 44 | 7 |
| 1994 Feb. 26-28 | 56 | 38 | 6 |
| 1992 Feb. 6-9 | 57 | 33 | 10 |
| 1991 Nov. 21-24 | 52 | 36 | 12 |
| 1991 Aug. 23-25 | 60 | 31 | 10 |
| 1991 Aug. 19 | 36 | 50 | 14 |
| 1991 Aug. 8-11 | 66 | 25 | 9 |
| 1991 Mar. 14-17 | 50 | 42 | 8 |
| 1991 Jan. 30-Feb 2 | 57 | 35 | 8 |
| 1990 Sep. 10-14 | 58 | 32 | 10 |
| 1990 May 17-20 | 55 | 32 | 13 |
| 1989 Aug. 10-13 | 51 | 40 | 9 |
| 1989 Feb 28-Mar. 2 | 62 | 29 | 9 |
| 1987 Apr. 25-May 10 | 25 | 71 | 4 |
| 1985 Feb. 22-Mar. 3 | 9 | 87 | 4 |
| 1983 Sep. 16-19 | 8 | 89 | 3 |
| 1982 Aug. 13-16 | 21 | 74 | 5 |
| 1981 Jan. 30-Feb. 2 | 21 | 77 | 2 |
| 1980 Jan. 25-28 | 14 | 85 | 2 |
| 1979 Feb. 23-26 | 34 | 60 | 6 |
| 1976 Jun. 25-28 | 21 | 71 | 8 |
| 1954 Aug. 5-10 | 5 | 88 | 7 |
In your view, should the U.S. continue to support Russian President Boris Yeltsin, or don't you think so?
| Yes, continue to support | Don't think so | No opinion | |
|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | |
| 1999 Apr 13-14 | 48 | 42 | 10 |
| 1999 Mar 19-21 | 59 | 32 | 9 |
| 1998 Sep 1 | 51 | 35 | 14 |
| 1993 Oct 5 | 62 | 23 | 15 |
In your view, is Russia a significant military threat to the United States today, or don't you think so?
| Yes, significant military threat | No, not a threat | No opinion | |
|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | |
| 1999 Apr 13-14 | 48 | 42 | 10 |
| 1999 Mar 19-21 | 42 | 54 | 4 |
| 1994 Jan 6-8 | 43 | 54 | 3 |
Which of the following best describes your view of the relationship between Russia and the United States? Would you say Russia is - an ally, friendly, but not an ally, unfriendly, but not an enemy, or an enemy of the United States?
| April 13-14, 1999 | |
| An ally, | 2% |
| Friendly, but not an ally | 44 |
| Unfriendly, but not an enemy, | 27 |
| An enemy of the United States, | 5 |
| Or, haven't you heard enough about that yet to say? | 20 |
| No opinion | 2 |
| 100% |
Since the Berlin Wall separating East and West Germany fell ten years ago, do you think each of the following countries is better off or worse off? How about ... [RANDOM ORDER]
| November 4-7, 1999 | ||||
| Better off | Worse off | SAME (vol.) | No opinion | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | |
| Russia | 50 | 40 | 4 | 6 |
| Germany | 82 | 11 | 2 | 5 |
| The United States | 82 | 9 | 6 | 3 |
(vol.) = volunteered response
