U.S., Europe Have Increasingly Dim Views of Putin Percent in each country all who say President they have Vladimir snot too much or no confidence at country all in Russian President Vladimir Putin much to do the right thing regarding world affairs
Vladimir Putin’s third term as Russia’s president had already been marked by clear signs of his intention to reassert his country as a world power before his move to annex Crimea. But whatever impact the latest events have on international opinion about Putin, views about him in the U.S. and allied countries had already turned negative compared with when he was first elected to office in 2000.
A Gallup poll conducted Feb. 6-9 found that 63% of Americans had an unfavorable view of Putin, the highest ever in its polling. That followed a year of U.S.-Russian tensions that included sharp differences over Syria, Russia’s decision to grant asylum to NSA leaker Edward Snowden and Putin’s op-ed piece in the New York Times taking issue with President Obama’s evocation of American exceptionalism.
Asked how much confidence they had in Putin to do the right thing in world affairs, 54% of Americans answered “not too much” or “none at all” in a 2012 survey, an increase of seven points compared with 2003. In 2012, just 28% said they had “a lot” or “some” confidence in the Russian leader.
But the public opinion changes were even more marked among the U.S.’s allies in Europe. In Britain, those saying they had little or no confidence in Putin to do the right thing jumped to 70% in 2012 from 36% in 2003; in France, it increased to 88% from 52%; and, in Germany, to 77% from 24%.
U.S., Europe Have Increasingly Dim Views of Putin  | Percent in each country all who say President they have Vladimir snot too much or no  | confidence at country all in Russian President Vladimir Putin much to do the  | right thing regarding world affairs  | 100%  | France 88%  | Germany 77  | 80  | Britain 70  | 60  | U.S 54  | 40  | 20  | 2003  | 2006  | 2008  | 2012  | Source: Pew Research Center Global Attitudes surveys, 2003-2012.  | PEW RESEARCH CENTER 