---
title: "2. Overall opinion of Russia"
description: "Across 24 countries surveyed, views of Russia are overwhelmingly negative, with a median of 82% saying they have an unfavorable opinion of the country, compared with 15% who say they have a favorable view. In all but five countries, majorities express an unfavorable view of Russia. In Australia, the Netherlands, Japan, Poland, Spain, Sweden, the […]"
date: "2023-07-10"
authors:
  - name: "Moira Fagan"
    job_title: "Research Associate"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/moira-fagan/"
  - name: "Jacob Poushter"
    job_title: "Associate Director, Global Attitudes Research"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/jacob-poushter/"
  - name: "Sneha Gubbala"
    job_title: "Research Analyst"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/sneha-gubbala/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2023/07/10/overall-opinion-of-russia/"
categories:
  - "Defense & National Security"
  - "Global Image of Countries"
  - "International Affairs"
  - "NATO"
  - "Vladimir Putin"
  - "War & International Conflict"
  - "War & International Conflict"
  - "World Leaders"
datasets:
  - name: "Spring 2023 Survey Data"
    url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/dataset/spring-2023-survey-data/"
---

# 2. Overall opinion of Russia

[![A bar chart showing that views of Russia are largely negative – and in several countries most are very unfavorable](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2023/07/gap_2023.07.10_russia-nato_2-01.png?w=420)](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2023/07/10/overall-opinion-of-russia/gap_2023-07-10_russia-nato_2-01-png/)

Across 24 countries surveyed, views of Russia are overwhelmingly negative, with a median of 82% saying they have an unfavorable opinion of the country, compared with 15% who say they have a favorable view.

In all but five countries, majorities express an unfavorable view of Russia. In Australia, the Netherlands, Japan, Poland, Spain, Sweden, the UK and the U.S., this share is at least nine-in-ten.

Poles are the most unfavorable toward Russia, with 98% saying they have a negative view of the country and 90% expressing a *very* unfavorable view.

In Europe, Greeks are the most favorable towards Russia: About a third say they have at least a somewhat favorable view of the country. Still, two-thirds express a negative opinion of Russia.

India, which has not [formally taken a stance](https://www.npr.org/2023/02/20/1156478956/russia-india-relations-oil-modi-putin) on the war, stands out as the only country where a majority (57%) has a *favorable* opinion of Russia. Views are also less negative in Indonesia, Kenya and Nigeria, where about four-in-ten say they have a favorable opinion.

[![A table showing that views of Russia remain low, reaching record lows in many countries](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2023/07/gap_2023.07.10_russia-nato_2-02.png?w=640)](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2023/07/10/overall-opinion-of-russia/gap_2023-07-10_russia-nato_2-02-png/)

In 2022, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, views in nearly every country surveyed [reached record lows](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2022/06/22/ratings-for-russia-drop-to-record-lows/). Russian favorability in these countries has remained largely consistent in 2023 and have dropped even further in Germany, Israel and Spain.

In Argentina, Brazil and South Africa, favorable views have also decreased since these countries were last surveyed in 2019. In Argentina, the share expressing a favorable view of Russia has decreased by nearly 20 percentage points, falling from 36% to 17%.

Views vary by age: In nine countries, adults under the age of 40 are more likely than those 40 and older to say they have a favorable opinion of Russia. In Mexico, 42% of younger adults say they have a favorable view of Russia, compared with 26% of older Mexicans who agree.

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**Next:** [3. Attitudes toward Russian oil and gas](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2023/07/10/attitudes-toward-russian-oil-and-gas.md)