After the meeting between the American president and the Russian president the attitudes of Russians towards D. Trump and the United States improved, according to the recent VCIOM-Sputnik survey data.

MOSCOW, July 13, 2017. The Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) presents the results of a survey devoted to the study of Russia-U.S. relations and the recent meeting of Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.

The first meeting of the American president and the Russian president (that was held on July 7 in the framework of the G20 Summit) is considered as landmark on a national scale: 89% of Russians are aware of that meeting. The topics Russians remember most (among those who heard about the meeting) are situation in Syria and in Ukraine, bilateral cooperation issues, and fight against terrorism.  

Almost half of Russians (48%) expect that the face-to-face talk between D. Trump and V. Putin will be beneficial for Russia; only 1% expect negative effects. Forty-eight percent of Russians forecast improvements in bilateral relations; 2% - deterioration; 41% think no changes will happen.

After the meeting of the Russian and American presidents, respondents give higher ratings to bilateral relations than it was several months ago: the index increased from -68 to -52 p. in April; however, negative assessments still prevail.  About one-third of Russians (32% in each group) mention tensions and coolness; only 3-4% think the relationships are good-neighborly and friendly.  

More Russians express liking personally towards American president: the share of positive opinions reached 27% in July (from 13% in April); at the same time, the percentage of negative opinions decreased to 22% (from 39%); 40% are indifferent.  

*Russia-US relations Index shows how Russians assess the state of bilateral relations. Index is based on the question “How would you generally assess the current state of Russia-US relations?” Index is calculated as the difference of positive opinions (“normal”, “calm”, “good, “good-neighborly”, “friendly”) and negative opinions (“cool”, “tense”, “hostile”). Index is measured in points and can vary between -100 and 100. The higher the value of Index is, the better Russians assess the bilateral relations.

The VCIOM-Sputnik Russian nationwide survey was conducted on July 9-10, 2017. The survey involved 1,200 Russians aged 18 and over, and was carried out using stratified dual-frame random sample based on a complete list of landline and mobile phone numbers operating in Russia. The data were weighted according to selection probability and social and demographic characteristics. The margin of error at a 95% confidence level does not exceed 3.5%. In addition to sampling error, minor changes in question wording and different circumstances arising during the fieldwork can introduce bias into the survey.

Results for the 2005-2016 studies are based on household surveys. 

* Before July 2017, the question was as follows: “How would you assess the current relations between Russia and the U.S.A?”

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