President Vladimir Putin’s approval ratings have reached a new high in Russia, according to an independent poll released on Thursday.
The poll results stated that 83% of Russians approved of Putin, up from 69% in January, and 71% last month.
Details: The poll was conducted in March among 1,632 24- to 30-year-old Russian adults. It also found that sentiments about Russia saw a sharp uptick.
Approval ratings for the prime minister and governors, as well as activities by the government and State Duma, saw a rise in ratings, according to the poll by the Levada Center, an independent pollster in Moscow.
What they’re saying: Denis Volkov, Levada’s director, said that initial feelings of “shock and confusion” after the invasion have been replaced with support for Russia, per The New York Times.
He said that people believe that “everyone is against us” and that “Putin defends us, otherwise we would be eaten alive.”
Yes, but: According to the Times, some believe that these polls don’t represent public opinion accurately, as people may answer questions by looking at what is socially acceptable.
FiveThirtyEight described Levada as a “respected, independent pollster.” According to Forbes, Columbia University professor Timothy Frye wrote a paper in 2016 that found that approval ratings were mostly reflective of the Russian public’s sentiment.
Flashback: Putin’s approval ratings saw a sharp jump from 69% to 83% when the country seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, per The Wall Street Journal.