---
title: "4 charts on how Russians see their country’s place in the world"
description: "The Russian public feels confident about their country’s global standing, even as signs of discontent emerge at home."
date: "2017-06-21"
authors:
  - name: "Dorothy Manevich"
    job_title: "Former Research Analyst"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/dorothy-manevich/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2017/06/21/4-charts-on-how-russians-see-their-countrys-place-in-the-world/"
categories:
  - "Global Balance of Power"
  - "Leaders"
  - "World Leaders"
---

# 4 charts on how Russians see their country’s place in the world

The Russian public feels confident about their country’s global standing, according to a new Pew Research Center [survey](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2017/06/20/russians-remain-confident-in-putins-global-leadership), even as signs of [discontent](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-opposition-protests-idUSKBN1941XJ) emerge at home. Here are four key findings about how Russians see their nation’s place in the world:

[![](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2017/06/FT_17.06.21_Russia1_2.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2017/06/21/4-charts-on-how-russians-see-their-countrys-place-in-the-world/ft_17-06-21_russia1_2/)

**A majority of Russians believe their country is playing a more important role in the world today than it did a decade ago.** Other publics with a sense of growing global importance include China and India. In a spring 2016 [survey](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2016/10/05/chinese-public-sees-more-powerful-role-in-world-names-u-s-as-top-threat/#chinese-american-european-and-indian-views-of-their-role-in-the-world),

[![](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2017/06/FT_17.06.21_Russia2.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2017/06/21/4-charts-on-how-russians-see-their-countrys-place-in-the-world/ft_17-06-21_russia2/)

three-quarters of Chinese and 68% of Indians said their country is more influential compared with a decade ago. Such confidence contrasts with European views, where a median of just 23% across 10 European Union nations felt their country’s global influence was on the rise in 2016.

**Most Russians still believe their country doesn’t get the respect it deserves, but fewer feel this way now than in the past. **Today, 56% of the Russian public thinks Moscow should be held in higher esteem around the world. About a third believes Russia gets the proper amount of respect, which is up from just 16% in 2012, the last time the question was asked.

****

[![](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2017/06/FT_17.06.21_Russia3.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2017/06/21/4-charts-on-how-russians-see-their-countrys-place-in-the-world/ft_17-06-21_russia3/)

Many Russians see inherent conflict in their relationship with the West, but few rule out cooperation. According to a recently released Pew Research Center [report](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2017/05/10/religious-belief-and-national-belonging-in-central-and-eastern-europe/) based on 2015 survey data, overwhelming majorities in Russia believe that their country serves as an important counterbalance to the West (85%) and that Russian values clash with Western values (73%).

However, Russians remain open to cooperation with the U.S. and other Western nations. A majority (55%) agree it is in their nation’s interest to work closely with the West.

****

[![](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2017/06/FT_17.06.21_Russia4_4.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2017/06/21/4-charts-on-how-russians-see-their-countrys-place-in-the-world/ft_17-06-21_russia4_4/)

Russian President Vladimir Putin gets high marks on foreign affairs. Overall, nearly nine-in-ten Russians say they are confident in their president’s ability to do the right thing in world affairs, with 58% expressing *a lot* of confidence.

When it comes to bilateral relationships, Russians give Putin high ratings on his handling of relations with the U.S. (73% approve), the EU (67%) and Ukraine (63%). But these ratings are down substantially from 2015, when 85% approved of Putin’s handling of the U.S., 82% approved of EU relations and 83% approved of Ukrainian relations.

Putin gets his highest marks on managing relations with China (78% approval), a country with which Russian relations have become markedly [friendlier](http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/russia-china-north-korea-g7-nato-summits-world-bank-us-influence-a7754876.html) in recent years. However, even that figure is down 12 percentage points compared with 2015.