Russia's global image has soured significantly over the past year amid the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, a new study by the Pew Research Center has shown.
On average, 43 percent of respondents across 44 countries have an unfavorable view of Russia, compared to 34 percent who are sympathetic toward the country, according to the study released Wednesday.
Meanwhile, attitudes toward Russia have deteriorated in 20 of the 36 countries surveyed both this and last year, improving in just six countries and remaining relatively similar in 10.
The worst dynamics were observed in the U.S., where the number of people with an unfavorable view of Russia grew from 43 percent in 2013 to 72 percent in 2014. In the EU, the number of people with the same attitude rose 20 percentage points to 74 percent.
The general attitude toward Russia was also negative in the Middle East, Latin America and Japan, though in India and China, the majority of the population approved of Russia — with more people doing so than last year.
In Ukraine, which lost the Crimean peninsula to Russia in March, 60 percent view Russia negatively, compared to just 11 percent in 2011.
However, among Russians polled in the survey, 92 percent displayed a positive attitude toward their own country — up from 83 percent in 2013.
Worldwide confidence in Russian President Vladimir Putin was also low, the survey showed. Only in China, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Kenya and Tanzania did the majority of the population believe he was likely to do right in global affairs.
The study, which was conducted from March 17 to June 5, covered 48,643 respondents and did not specify a margin of error.
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Putin's Approval Ratings Soar to Six-Year Highhttp://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/putins-approval-ratings-soar-to-six-year-high/501137.html
