MalayMail-July 3
Malaysians were now more supportive of Russia and its president Vladimir Putin than when they first invaded Ukraine over two years ago, according to Washington-based pollster’s report released last night. Of respondents in the 35 countries surveyed, Malaysians have the most positive view on Russia and its president Vladimir Putin, which have stayed “very negative” elsewhere since the invasion. “A median of 65 per cent across 35 countries have an unfavorable view of the country, and 73 per cent have no confidence in Putin doing the right thing regarding world affairs,” Pew Research Centre said in an accompanying press release. “Malaysia is the only country where a majority express a favorable opinion of Russia, with nearly 6 in 10 Malaysians saying this,” the report said. Fifty-seven per cent of Malaysians found Russia favorable or somewhat favorable in the survey. Putin is also most popular in Malaysia, with 61 per cent of Malaysians having “some or a lot of confidence” that the Russian president would do the right thing in current world affairs. In Malaysia, 63 per cent of the youngest age group — 18 to 35-year-olds — preferred Russia.
Positive sentiments toward Russia also increased in Malaysia and Singapore since its last survey in 2022, immediately following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the report said. In 2022, just 47 per cent of Malaysians viewed Russia positively and 59 per cent believed in Putin whereas 28 per cent of Singaporeans favored Russia and 36 per cent believed in Putin. Now, 34 per cent of Singaporeans viewed Russia positively and 37 per cent believed in Putin. However, public opinion of Russia in Singapore was still largely negative as 63 per cent had unfavourable views of the country and 60 per cent did not have confidence in Putin. “Malaysia and the Philippines are the only two countries surveyed where majorities express confidence in Putin, including about 2 in 10 in each country who have a lot of confidence in the Russian president,” the report noted. In the same survey, 61 per cent of Malaysians said they had little to no confidence in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy doing the right thing in world affairs. The researchers said that Malaysians may perceive Russia to offer a counterbalance to the United States’ hegemony, with 37 per cent of respondents agreeing that Russia has social media influence in Malaysia. But, it was also said that Russia has the most documented evidence of carrying out foreign interference around the world. Read more at: https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2024/07/03/pew-centre-poll-malaysia-top-among-35-countries-for-rosy-view-of-russia-and-putin/142411
