Russian President Putin inspires much more confidence from his people than does President Bush; more than eight-in-ten Russians (84%) say they have a lot or some confidence in Putin’s approach to world affairs; just 45% of Americans say the same about Bush. But confidence in Putin, has declined sharply in other countries surveyed in the latest Pew Global Attitudes poll; in fact, the Russian leader’s negatives have soared to the point that they approach, but still do not match the nearly worldwide lack of confidence in George W. Bush. Read More

Russell Heimlich  is a former web developer at Pew Research Center.