Vladimir Putin’s popularity rating has exploded in Russia since the start of the war, according to a study published by an independent institute.
Vladimir Putin’s popularity rating has increased, according to the independent poll released on Thursday, the approval ratings have reached levels unseen in years, as many Russians rally around the flag in the face of mounting international pressure.
Several weeks after the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine, 83% of Russians approve of Vladimir Putin’s actions in March, a figure up 12% from February, according to a study by the Levada Center, an independent Russian public opinion research and analysis institute, considered by the State as a “foreign agent”.
Trust in the current Russian president has also increased since February, from 34 to 44 percent, according to the institute.
“In the right direction” for 69% of Russians
Also, 69% of Russians polled in March believe that “things are generally going in the right direction” in their country. Once again, this is a figure that has increased significantly since February (52%). Conversely, 22% think their country is “going in the wrong direction”, compared to 38% in February.
Asked about their intention to vote in the event of legislative elections, 54% of Russians said they would choose United Russia, the party of the current Russian president.
If these figures were published by an institute which seems independent of the Russian State, they are not necessarily an identical reflection of reality.
“The real question is to know to what extent these figures reflect the deep reality of Russian opinion, or what is admissible in the public space (here facing an investigator)” underlines Mathieu Gallard, director of research at the Ipsos polling institute, on Twitter.
It should be noted that 15% of those questioned nevertheless declared that they did not approve of the actions of Vladimir Poutine to “a complete stranger […] which is not nothing”, underlines Mathieu Gallard, in particular in a context where demonstrations against the war are prohibited and lead to arrests.