Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Large Shares See Russia and Putin in Negative Light, While Views of Zelenskyy More Mixed

4. Confidence in Zelenskyy to handle world affairs

A bar chart showing views of Zelenskyy across 24 countries surveyed

Views regarding Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are somewhat more mixed than those of Putin: A median of 51% across 24 countries have at least some confidence in Zelenskyy to do the right thing regarding world affairs, while 39% say they have not too much or no confidence at all.

In about half of the countries surveyed, majorities indicate having confidence in Zelenskyy (also spelled Zelensky). Views are most positive in Europe, where more than seven-in-ten in the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK say they have confidence in Zelenskyy to do the right thing regarding world affairs. In Greece, Hungary and Italy, however, majorities indicate no confidence in Zelenskyy.

Confidence in Zelenskyy also varies by ideology, albeit with a somewhat mixed relationship. In six countries, those on the left express greater confidence in Zelenskyy than those on the right. For example, in the U.S., over three-quarters of those who place themselves on the left of the political spectrum say they have confidence in Zelenskyy to do the right thing regarding world affairs, compared with roughly half of those on the right who agree. However, in Argentina, Greece, South Korea and Spain, the relationship is reversed. In Greece, those on the left are 23 percentage points less likely to express confidence in Zelenskyy than those on the right.

CORRECTION (Aug. 15, 2023): A previous version of this report misstated how confidence in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy varies by political ideology in the United States. The text has been updated to reflect that in 2023, 73% of liberal U.S. adults and 45% of conservative adults have confidence in Zelenskyy to do the right thing regarding world affairs.

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