Thirty-six percent of Russians consider their country to be one of most powerful in the world, the Interfax news agency reported Thursday, citing data from the independent Levada Center pollster.
Over the past year the number of respondents sharing this opinion has increased by 9 percentage points, according to the results of a Levada poll carried out Jan. 22-25 in 48 Russian regions.
Meanwhile, a quarter of Russians believe that their country lags behind advanced nations in economic development. 4 percent of Levada respondents said Russia can't catch up with the greatest world powers because of the West's resistance, Interfax reported.
When asked about the attitude of advanced world powers towards Russia, 42 percent of respondents said that Russia is considered a rival. Another 30 percent of Russians said their country is seen as an enemy, and 15 percent of poll participants believe other countries consider Russia a partner.
The poll also showed that 53 percent of respondents believe Russia should strengthen ties with the West and half of respondents spoke out in favor of developing closer relations with Muslim nations. 31 percent expressed an opposite point of view, stating that Russia should distance itself from the West and Muslim world.
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