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Sociologists find that Russians think Vladimir Putin is less likeable

Source: RBC

According to a new sociological survey by the independent polling agency the Levada Center, Vladimir Putin has become less likeable in the eyes of Russians over the past year and a half. The president's main achievements are perceived as strengthening the armed forces and Russia's position in the world. This was Levada's 17th such poll on Putin, which it has conducted every year since President Boris Yeltsin appointed him prime minister in August 1999.

Respondents who describe Putin as “likeable” have dropped from 37 percent in March 2015 to 29 percent in late July. According to Lev Gudkov, the Levada Center's director, Putin is losing sympathy because Western sanctions against Russia and the situation in Crimea no longer generates the same “emotional lift” that it did more than a year ago. 

According to Dmitry Orlov, a political scientist and leading member of the ruling political party “United Russia,” Putin's likeability rating is merely “stabilizing” after a period of “patriotic mobilization.” 

People responding to Levada's survey said Putin's biggest failures have been fighting corruption (29 percent), raising living standards, wages, and pensions (27 percent), and developing the economy (19 percent). Gudkov believes that widespread dissatisfaction with Putin's recent economic record will harm his popularity in the long run. “The fall will be slow,” Gudkov explained. “It won't be very strong by the 2018 [presidential] election, but it will increase in the future.”

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