Russians warm to USA as Trump's presidency shifts perceptions
Russians are beginning to view the USA more favourably, according to the latest survey. Experts believe one reason is the change of power across the ocean.
What do you need to know?
- Change of power in the USA: Donald Trump's return to the presidency of the USA and discussions about ending the war with Ukraine have contributed to the improvement of relations between Russians and Americans.
- Increase in positive opinions: Approximately 30% of Russians currently express a positive attitude towards the USA, an increase of 14 percentage points compared to September 2024.
- Decrease in negative opinions: The percentage of Russians who view the USA negatively has dropped from 72% to 51%.
Russians are increasingly favourable toward the United States. "Around 30% of Russians now view the United States favorably, nearly double the share from before U.S. President Donald Trump took office," reports the Moscow Times. This data is from a survey conducted by the Levada Center, an independent Russian public opinion research organisation.
What influenced the change in Russians' opinions?
According to experts—predictably—the first factor is the change of power in the USA. When Donald Trump resumed the presidency, relations between Moscow and Washington changed, impacting public sentiment. Similarly, the commencement of talks about ending the war with Ukraine improved relations between Russians and Americans.
The change is noticeable because the percentage of Russians with a positive attitude towards the USA has almost doubled compared to September 2024.
It's important to note that 20% of surveyed Russians still have difficulty defining their attitude towards Americans. However, 51% of Russians continue to speak negatively about the USA.
The survey was conducted from 20th to 26th February, involving 1,615 people across Russia. Notably, the Levada Center, which conducted the survey, was labelled a "foreign agent" by the Russian Ministry of Justice in 2016.
