The average Russian dislikes president Donald Trump more intensely than the average American. And as for Vladimir Putin, the latest polls show sagging public support for the Kremlin strongman.
A new poll commissioned by a state-owned survey firm found that most Russians not only don't like Trump intensely -- seven in 10 Russians dislike him -- but also see him as "dangerous" and untrustworthy. In comparison, roughly six in 10 Americans dislike Trump, according to various polls.
These stunning bits of data were revealed last week in a survey by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM), which is owned by the Russian state. This firm is one of Russia's leading sociological and market research companies and is the oldest polling institution in post-Soviet Russia. The poll was conducted before the much-derided meeting between Trump and Vladimir Putin in Helsinki on July 16.
Asked how much they liked Trump, 71 percent of the Russian respondents view Trump unfavorably while only 10 percent has a favorable opinion of the Donald. Nearly one in five had no opinion of the American president.
Russians were asked what they thought of Trump and the replies were astounding for their negative views of the American president. The survey showed 77 percent of Russians consider Trump "self-centered" while 58 percent see him as "dangerous." A mere 16 percent consider Trump "trustworthy" while 34 percent see him as "strong."
Russians, however, have a more favorable opinion of Americans in general, but this outlook is negative overall. The VCIOM poll showed 30 percent of Russians view Americans favorably; 44 percent have an unfavorable opinion of Americans while 27 percent have no opinion. VCIOM said the large percentage of Russians with no opinion indicates a great deal of ambivalence toward Americans as a people, as opposed to their government.
The picture for Putin isn't as rosy as it once was, however. A VCIOM poll conducted July 1 found that just 37.9 percent of respondents trusted Putin on taking decisions on issues of national importance. That percentage stood at 53.6 percent after Putin was re-elected president on March 18 election.
Another poll, this one by the Public Opinion Fund (FOM), confirmed the VCIOM findings. FOM's weekly survey looking into voter confidence found that just 49 percent of Russians will vote for Putin if elections were held today, down from 68 percent in late March. Putin has been in power for 18 years.
The VCIOM July 1 poll found that just 37.9 percent of Russians trusted Putin on taking decisions on issues of national importance compared to 53.6 percent on March 18.
