8.3 Russia's Government and Economic System

One of the reasons that American views of Russia in general have remained cool may be the perceived lack of democratic development in Russia, especially given the 15 years that have passed since the end of the Cold War. When asked to rate the level of democracy in Russia on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 meaning not at all democratic and 10 meaning completely democratic, Russia received an average rating of 3.69 in an April 2006 WPO poll. In response to the same question in a September 2005 CCFR/PIPA-KN poll the rating was 3.63.

In comparison to other countries Russia’s level of democracy is rated somewhat low. Russia’s was viewed only slightly better than China’s (2.16) and considerably lower than the United States (7.40) in the April 2006 WPO poll. In September 2005 it ranked at nearly the same levels as Turkey (3.66) and Egypt (3.48) and among the lower half of 14 countries that were rated in the poll.

Americans express a commitment to the development of democracy in Russia. A January 2005 Pew poll asked how much priority should be given to insuring democracy succeeds in Russia and Eastern Europe. Seventy percent said it should be a priority (53% said a priority, 17% said top priority)

In addition to viewing the current state of democracy in Russia negatively, Americans give Russia's government system poor ratings. In the April 2006 WPO poll 68% said they had an unfavorable view of Russia's system of government, with just 26% saying they have a favorable view.

At the same time, despite widely expressed concern in the US press that Russia is becoming less democratic, this perception is not widespread among the American public. In the April 2006 WPO poll only one in four said that it has become less "democratic and responsive to its people" in recent years. One in three felt that Russia has become more democratic (33%) and 36% felt that it has stayed about the same.

Americans are also considerably optimistic about the advancement of democracy in Russia during the next 10 years. More than 70% believe that 10 years from now, Russia will be much more democratic (8%) or somewhat more democratic (63%), while only 25 percent believe it will be somewhat (19%) or much less (6%) democratic.

Most Americans also express little concern with the widely reported rise in authoritarianism in Russia. When asked about whether "growing authoritarianism in Russia" is a threat, 61% of Americans polled in a February 2006 Pew survey said that growing authoritarianism in Russia is not a threat (16%) or is a minor threat (45%), very comparable to levels found when the question was asked in October 2005.

Finally, Russia's economic system also gets poor ratings. In the April 2006 WPO poll 72% expressed an unfavorable view of Russia's economic system.

8.4 Views of President Vladimir Putin

Consistent with the recent negative views of Russia's influence in the world, Russian President Vladimir Putin is seen more unfavorably than favorably. An April 2006 WPO poll found that 55% have an unfavorable view of Putin, while just 36% said they have a favorable view, with 10% offering no opinion.

Views were less negative a few years ago. An October 2003 Gallup poll found that 38% had a favorable view of Putin while 28% had an unfavorable view. Sixteen percent said they had never heard of him, and 18% had no opinion.