Based on the results of a comprehensive study in the framework of the Russia-France Trianon Dialogue

Transcription

1 RUSSIAN-FRENCH RELATIONS Based on the results of a comprehensive study in the framework of the Russia-France Trianon Dialogue Moscow, 2018 Dr. Valery Fedorov Director General VCIOM (Russian Public Opinion Research Center)

2 Methodology 1 st stage quantitative study: nationwide representative survey Target group: Russian adults (18+) Scope and sample size: 1,600 respondents, nationwide survey, representative in terms of gender and age Margin of error does not exceed ±2.2% Method: telephone-based survey Time period: April 2018 In France, the survey was carried out online by Harris Interactive in April 2018, with a sample of 1,000 respondents aged 18+ 2d stage qualitative study: focus groups in Moscow Target group: young respondents aged 18-4 and older respondents (55+) who had not had personal experiences with France and the French people. Scope and sample size: Moscow, 2 focus groups. Number of participants: 8-9 persons. d stage Big Data: social media analysis Scope and sample size : Russian-speaking social media audience Time period: April 1, 2017 March 1, A total of 1,402,026 mentions of France, French people and famous French politicians (E. Macron, M. Le Pen, etc.) were collected. 2

3 Image of Russia and France

4 Russians and the French are poorly informed about each other In your opinion, are you well or poorly informed about France/Russia and the French/Russians? (closed-ended question, one answer, % of all respondents in France/Russia) Very good Rather good Rather bad Very bad Survey in Russia Hard to tell 1 Survey in France 5-TOP sources of information about France, according to Russians assessments Television 75 Internet (excluding social media networks) 49 Communications with friends, relatives Social media networks French art and culture

5 The attitudes of Russians towards France and its people are more positive than the attitudes of French respondents towards Russia and Russians What is your general view of France/Russia very good, rather good, rather bad or very bad? (closed-ended question, one answer, % of all respondents in France/Russia) Very good Rather good Rather bad Very bad Hard to tell Speaking in general, how much do you like/dislike the French people? (one answer, % of all respondents in Russia) Survey in Russia Survey in France Speaking in general, how much do you like/dislike Russians? (one answer, % of all respondents in France) 12 Like very much 8 Like moderately Dislike moderately 77 Dislike very much Like very much Like moderately Dislike moderately Dislike very much Hard to tell 5

6 Russians see France mainly as a beautiful country. The French people see Russia as a big, powerful and great civilization In your opinion, which of the following characteristics are associated or are not associated with Russia/ France? (% of all respondents in Russia in France who gave positive ( suit ) answers, one answer for each statement) Beautiful Survey in Russia Open to the world 76 1 Democratic country Dynamic Sporting Turned towards the future Great civilization Country of science and technologies Imperialistic Large country Powerful Survey in France 6

7 France for Russians means Paris and its sightseeing When you think of France, what words, thoughts come to your mind? (% of all respondents in Russia, several answers) Paris sightseeing (Eiffel Tour, Notre Dame, Louvre) 6 Paris 1 Famous personalities (A. Delon, Chirac, De Gaulle, M. Mathieu, Chanel, Napoleon) French cuisine (baguette, croissant, cheese) French culture (art, literature, music) In France Russia is mainly associated with its cold climate, its public figures (Putin) and political situation (dictatorship), as well as its a famous drink vodka. France sightseeing, cities 7 Elegant, beautiful country with high living standards, comfortable living 7 French symbols (french language, flag) 6 Associations with historical events (the war of 1812, the French Revolution) 5 Carelessness, light-heartedness, romanticism, being in love 5 Wine, cognac, champagne 5 7

8 Perceptions of the French Republic by Russians are rather positive Which of the following describes your perception of France best? (closed-ended question, one answer not more than three answers, % of all respondents in Russia) Broadly speaking, how do you perceive the French people? They are (closed-ended question, one answer per each characteristic, % of respondents in Russia who gave positive ( yes ) answers) Curiosity 46 Respect Trust Admiration Nice Welcoming Indifference Hope Romantic 90 Enthusiasm Distrust Skepticism Hard-working Disciplined Fear Disgust 2 1 Arrogant 5 Contempt 1 8

9 The French views of Russia are ambiguous; however their views of Russians are also more positive Which of the following best describes your perception of Russia? (closed-ended question, one answer not more than three answers, % of all respondents in France) Distrust 44 Broadly speaking, how do you perceive Russians? They are (closed-ended question, one answer per each characteristic, % of respondents in France who gave positive ( yes ) answers) Curiosity 9 Skepticism 27 Hard-working 84 Respect Indifference Disciplined 77 Fear 16 Nice 60 Hope Trust Welcoming 59 Admiration 10 Arrogant 4 Enthusiasm Hatred 7 Romantic Contempt 9

10 The French and the Russian people have common features due to cultural affinity In your opinion, how far or close are Russians and the French in terms of? (% of respondents in Russia and France, who answered very close and rather close ) Quality of life Pragmatism 50 Interest in politics 52 Moral values Politeness Children education Culture 65 6 Situation of women Creativity Optimism about future Survey in Russia Survey in France 10

11 Perception of Russian-French relationship 11

12 Russians tend to view the Russian-French relationships more positively In your opinion, are the current state of relations between Russia and France? (closed-ended question, one answer, % of all respondents in Russia/France) Survey in Russia 4 4 Very good Rather good 42 Rather bad 50 Very bad Hard to tell 5 Survey in France In your opinion, will the Russian-French relations be over the next few years? (closed-ended question, one answer, % of all respondents in Russia/France) Improving 7 51 Deteriorating 1 19 Survey in Russia Without changes 6 4 Survey in France 12

13 Russians and the French recognize the important role of Russia in the world In your opinion, what role does RUSSIA play in the international arena today: important, rather important, rather not important, not at all important? (closed-ended question, one answer, % of all respondents in Russia/France) Important 4 Survey in Russia Survey in France 77 In your opinion, what role does FRANCE play in the international arena today: important, rather important, rather not important, not at all important? (closed-ended question, one answer, % of all respondents in Russia/France) Important 24 Rather important Rather not important Not at all important Rather important Rather not important Hard to tell 0 2 Not at all important 6 1

14 Strengthening the cooperation predominantly in the following areas: security, culture, political relations and new technologies, as well as economy and environmental protection Do you think that strengthening the Russian-French cooperation in the following areas is very important/important/not very important/not at all important? (closed-ended question, one answer not more than three answers, % of all respondents in Russia) Security 55 6 (в % от всех опрошенных, один ответ по каждой позиции) Cultural relations Political relations New technologies Economic relations Climate change and environment Tourism Higher education Energy Sport Agriculture Space Very much important Important Not very important Not at all important

15 Perception of public figures 15

16 In Russia, Emmanuel Macron is in the top three most famous French persons living today. Vladimir Putin is the most famous Russian person in France When you think of the famous French/Russian persons living today, who comes first to your mind? (% of all respondents in Russia and France, several answers) Survey in Russia Gerard Depardieu Pierre Richard Emmanuel Macron 10 Vladimir Putin Jean-Paul Belmondo Mireille Mathieu Mikhail Gorbachev Maria Sharapova Gerard Depardieu (who Dmitry Medvedev Garry Kasparov Survey in France 16

17 The main politician in France, according to the Russian social media audience Mentions of E.Macron and M.Le Pen in the Russian-speaking social media segment, total yearly mentions E. Macron M. Le Pen 17

18 Main results - 1 Both Russian awareness of France and French awareness of Russia are low (more than two-thirds of respondents are poorly informed) Russian views of France are likely to be positive and romantic. The strongest associations refer to Paris, its sightseeing and famous French personalities. In contrast, French views of Russia are more politicized: Vladimir Putin and political regime are dominant, apart from Russia's geographical specifics and severe climate. The attitudes of the Russian respondents towards the French Republic are overwhelmingly favorable (over 80%); respondents' attitudes towards the French people are similar. The results of the survey conducted in France are different: the attitudes of the French people towards the Russian Federation is rather negative (57% of negative assessments), while their views of the Russian people are more positive (6% of positive opinions). 18

19 Main results - 2 Russians find more common traits among the French people than the French people do among Russians. The major common points are politeness and creativity. To strengthen the Russian-French ties, more efforts are needed to raise awareness among the public (both French and Russian). Therefore, possible forms of cooperation might be joint cultural and educational programs, publications in mass media, events. Potential growth areas might be security, science and technologies. This is due to high demand for cooperation in these fields at the moment. To build a positive image of the country and its inhabitants, the mass media need to pay more attention to cultural, educational and popular programs showing the history of the country, its everyday life and cultural specifics in more detail. 19

20 Thank you for your attention!

21 KEEP UP WITH THE NEWS AND GET UPDATES! MOBILE APP 21