Have sanctions against Russia really made Putin more popular?
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Version 0 of 1. Between talks of a ceasefire, a peace plan and reports of possible heightened sanctions and boycotts (£, €), Vladimir Putin’s popularity on the domestic front has returned to record highs. The president’s ratings have shot up 20 points since January, and after a steady six-year drop are back on 2007-08 levels. On the surface, the more sanctions are increased the less Russians seem to become worried. Why is this? First of all context. Russia is a big country, almost double the size of the U.S., and like London isn’t Britain (and Kiev isn’t Ukraine), Moscow isn’t Russia. Russia isn’t home to the most vibrant media industry in the world. And, almost everyone in Russia who is following events in Ukraine is doing so exclusively through television. As a comparison, 30% of American adults use Facebook as a source of news. Furthermore, Russians have very decisive opinions on events in Ukraine. Despite all this, there are two recent movements in the polls that are worth following. Firstly, a growing number of the population feels that sanctions are beginning to impact the broader population. Secondly, and more significantly, there are concerns over the potential future impact of sanctions on food prices. Nothing too concerning (yet) from a Putin point of view, but definitely worth keeping an eye on the price of Apples and Parmesan Cheese. All the data used in this post can be found within polls released by the Levada Centre during August. |