Russians imagine state power differently than residents of other countries

Monitoring

The three greatest world powers of our time are the USA, China and Japan. In fourth and fifth places are Great Britain and Russia, respectively. However, if we consider the European Union a power, Russia moves to sixth position. These are the results of a survey conducted by the polling services Gallup and TNS-EMNID, commissioned by the Bertelsmann Research Foundation. The survey was conducted in nine countries - five G7 members (excluding Italy and Canada) plus the so-called BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China).

Everyone, without exception, recognized the United States as the main world power. But China has caused controversy. The BRIC neighbors and Japan are not inclined to consider them a great power - more than two-thirds of respondents in these countries think so, but in developed countries more than half called China a great power. Only the Germans (50% of respondents) and the British (43%) believe in the great power of Russia, and the Japanese and Brazilians are the most skeptical about us - no more than 10% of respondents called us great.

Citizens of different countries are guided by different criteria in their assessments of great power. Agreement is observed only regarding economic power - 52% of respondents consider this the main factor. Moreover, Asian countries (including Russia) attach exceptional importance to it (about 60% of respondents). European ones - a little less (45-50%). The least of all are Americans (40%). Political stability is also recognized as important, but there is already a wide range of opinions here - from 28% in the USA to 64% in Germany. In general, two groups of countries can be distinguished. One of them is focused on internal affairs and pays very little attention to such outward-looking attributes of a world power as developing an international agenda, ensuring global security and socio-cultural attractiveness to other countries. Its most prominent representatives are India and Russia (only 2-18% of respondents indicated these factors). Another group, more open to the world, includes primarily the EU states - France, Germany, and Great Britain.

Russians have a very conservative understanding of great power - a strong army, a strong economy, political stability and resource wealth. And the external attractiveness of the social model of development, the ability to innovate, the development of education and science are deeply secondary signs (they are mentioned by 10-20% of respondents). In terms of respect for science and education, Russia ranks last among all countries (22% consider them a criterion for great power), while in Brazil, Germany, England and the USA this factor is given even more importance than the economy.

Such a traditional attribute of a world power as a strong army, the authors of the study note, is no longer generally accepted - this factor is considered relatively important by residents of only five countries, namely those that are members of the UN Security Council, but for them it is one and a half to two times less more important than economics. 36% believe that global security should be based on the balance of power of several powers, and in the United States this figure reaches 52%. The hegemony of one power is accepted by 7%. Only 5% consider a bipolar world structure reasonable. And only among nostalgic Russians is this idea twice as popular (10%).

The decrepit great power