More evidence that we’re heading into a new Cold War? A new poll finds Russians who feel their country is “great” has hit a 15 year high — and the United States is viewed more negatively than at any time since 1990:
Things haven’t been going so well for the average Russian lately. Last year, the economy only grew 1.3 percent — its poorest showing since the economic collapse. Thirty-five percent of the nation’s wealth is in the hands of just 110 people. And its current minimum wage comes out to just over $150 per month.
But Russians have never felt better about Russia.
According to fresh research out of the Russian Levada Center, a respected independent polling operation, the number of Russians who think their country is a “great power” just hit 63 percent — a 15-year high. In March of 1999, only 31 percent of Russians felt that way.
Levada Center also found that more Russians today view the United States negatively than at any time since April of 1990, when this kind of polling began. The research, which surveyed 1,603 people between March 7-10, said that 56 percent of Russians view the United States negatively, up from 44 percent in January.
Nearly a quarter-century ago, in 1990, that figure was only 7 percent.
The graphic shows the steep climb of these numbers:
Why is this important? It shows that for all the (legit) talk about Vladimir Putin being an autocrat and a dictator wannabe, he enjoys the support of a significant part of the Russian people — and that Russians by a whopping number don’t like the U.S. these days.
These aren’t numbers that will discourage Putin from cloning his action in Crimea in places like the Ukraine — or even beyond.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.