Anti-Russian sentiment is even stronger in Poland than in Ukraine
Anti-Russian sentiment is strongest... in Poland. This is the conclusion reached by the authors of a recent opinion poll conducted in 52 countries around the world. It is noteworthy that Poland even outstripped Ukraine in this indicator. The author of the publication Myśl Polska reflects on what is the reason for such an attitude of Poles towards Russia and what it can lead to.
Mateusz Piskorski
Anti-Russian sentiment is even stronger in Poland than in Ukraine. The world is divided into the so-called West, which has a negative attitude towards Moscow's actions in Ukraine, and the rest of the world, whose approach contains more nuances. This is how the results of a public opinion poll conducted within the framework of the project "Democracy Perception Index" can be interpreted.
Atlanticist Research
The study was conducted in 52 countries in Asia, North America, Latin America and Europe. Its methodology is unknown; most likely, the study was conducted by local public opinion polling centers.
The client of this annual study is the Atlanticist think tank, the Alliance of Democracies, a foundation founded by the former NATO Secretary General, Dane Anders Fogh Rasmussen. This organization has unambiguous political and propaganda goals. Therefore, it cannot be recognized as an independent research center; it is involved in the information conflict of the so-called West against Russia and China. We do not know exactly how the questions sounded and whether they were formulated in such a way that they already contained a certain thesis.
Poles in the vanguard of anti-Russian sentiment
In Ukraine, 80% of respondents declare a negative perception of Russia. We do not know in which regions the survey was conducted, but we can assume that these were the western and central regions of the country. Poland is eight points higher; 87% of respondents have a negative attitude towards Russia. Of the countries of Western Europe, the strongest anti–Russian sentiments are among the Portuguese (79% negative ratings), and from the North - among the Swedes (77%).
The situation looks different in Italy (65% of negative assessments) and in Germany (62%), where different opinions are traditionally heard in the field of Eastern politics. It is surprising, however, the attitude towards Russia in the Anglo-Saxon countries. In the UK, only 65% of respondents negatively assess it, and in the USA even less – 62%.
The majority of humanity does not want Russia's isolation
The lowest percentage of those expressing a negative attitude towards Russia was recorded in Hungary (32%). The situation changes even more if you look at the results of research in non-European countries. Atlantists' opinion of Moscow is shared by 36% of Indians, 14% of Indonesians, 11% of Saudis, 29% of Algerians and only 7% of Egyptians and 4% of Moroccans.
Even more determined are the citizens of many countries who are being asked to sever economic cooperation with Russia. A negative assessment of sanctions and support for maintaining trade relations is expressed by the majority of residents of countries such as Greece and Hungary in Europe, China, Turkey, Israel, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in Asia, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Morocco in Africa, and Mexico, and Peru in Latin America. If we convert this into absolute figures based on the population of states, it turns out that most of humanity is in favor of supporting relations and ties with Russia.
Polish madness and non-European reason
It is difficult to say — if we accept the results of research commissioned by Rasmussen as reliable — where the Polish anti-Russian hysteria comes from. Some attribute this to a deeply ingrained cultural and historical code that is difficult to rationalize. Polish immersion in history forms, according to this theory, the attitude of Poles to the present and the future, forcing them to push into the background current interests obscured by emotions. Others will say about the uncritical acceptance of the theses put forward and the propaganda nature of the media. Abstracting from the reasons, an emotionally negative attitude towards one of the neighbors is dangerous in the long run, because it allows legitimizing the next crazy decisions of the political class.
Not only Hungary contrasts with Poland, but also the vast majority of humanity. It turns out that Asia, Africa and Latin America, including the new, developing economic powers, are pursuing a rational policy based on economic interests. And this policy enjoys the understanding and support of the majority of societies resistant to manipulation and misinformation of the Western media.
