Drop in approval of Russia’s leadership widespread: Gallup
Global approval of Russia’s leadership saw a significant dip in 2022, following the country’s invasion of Ukraine, according to a new Gallup poll.
The poll found that a median of 21 percent of respondents from 137 countries said they approve of Russia’s leadership, while 57 percent said they disapprove.
Both numbers represent a significant shift from the year before, when a median of 33 percent approved and 38 percent disapproved of Russia’s leadership, according to Gallup.
This disapproval was widespread in 2022, with majorities in 81 countries saying they disapproved of Moscow’s leadership.
The U.S. and its European allies, who have led to effort to arm Ukraine against Russia, also have some of the world’s highest disapproval ratings of Moscow. More than 90 percent in the U.S., Canada and 10 European countries disapprove of Russia’s leadership, the poll found.
Disapproval ratings jumped by more than 40 points in two former Soviet countries — Lithuania and Romania — as well as Taiwan.
Taiwan’s fate has frequently been tied to that of Ukraine, given the looming threat of China’s claims on the self-governing island and questions about the West’s ability to defend it from a potential invasion.
As a region, Latin America and the Caribbean saw the largest shift toward disapproval of Moscow, increasing from a median of 37 percent in 2021 to 61 percent in 2022.
While few countries in the region have joined sanctions efforts against Russia, most have voted to condemn the country’s actions in the United Nations.
In sub-Saharan Africa, there was much less of a shift toward disapproval than other regions. While disapproval ratings there jumped from a median of 21 percent in 2021 to 32 percent in 2022, this still fell below the approval rating of 35 percent, according to the poll.
Large portions of sub-Saharan Africa have previously abstained from votes in the U.N. condemning Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and formally annexed four regions in southern and eastern Ukraine in late September.
The Gallup poll was conducted throughout 2022 with respondents from 137 countries and had a margin of error between 1.2 and 5.6 percentage points.
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