Zelenskyy is Europe’s most popular leader, but poll shows wide geographic variation

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This is the main finding from an exclusive Euronews poll conducted by Ipsos among around 26,000 respondents in 18 member countries ahead of the European Parliament elections to be held from 6 to 9 June. This is one of the major conclusions.

The first-of-its-kind survey shows that 47% of Europeans have a “positive” opinion of Volodymyr Zelensky, while 32% have a “negative” opinion. Ta. Meanwhile, 21% said they “don’t know enough” about the president, who has dominated headlines for the past two years and traveled extensively across the continent to speak on behalf of the war-torn nation.

This makes Zelenskiy the most liked of the eight European leaders surveyed by Ipsos, but also the most volatile and the most divisive.

In the Nordic region and the Iberian Peninsula, Zelenskiy has the highest positive ratings, with 81% in Finland, 74% in Sweden, 72% in Denmark and Portugal, and 64% in Spain.

By contrast, more than half of respondents in Hungary (60%), Greece (57%) and Bulgaria (56%) have a “negative” opinion of Ukraine’s president.

Other countries with more negative opinions than positive ones include Slovakia (50% vs. 26%), Austria (47% vs. 33%), Italy (41% vs. 32%), and the Czech Republic ( 37% vs. 36%). ).

This situation is in contrast to the official position of the governments, with Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and Czech Republic’s Petr Fiala vocally supporting Ukraine and defending the sanctions regime against Russia. The Czech Republic recently launched an initiative to quickly procure 800,000 rounds of ammunition for Kiev.

Another notable case is Germany, a major donor country of the EU. military aid. Opinion polls show that Germans are far from consensus, with 41% saying they have a positive view of Zelensky and 36% having a negative view of him.

In Romania, where farmers are dissatisfied with low-cost, duty-free grain imported from Ukraine, the disparity is equally striking, with 49% “positive” and 40% “negative.” “Target,” he answered. Poland, where the same issue has seen violent protests, is still in the “positive” camp (57%) rather than the “negative” (24%).

Looking at voting intentions for the June general election, Zelensky received the most points from supporters of the main pro-European parties: the European People’s Party (61%) and the Social Democratic Party (62%). , the Renew Europe Liberals (59%) and the Green Party (63%). For the far-right European Conservative and Reform Party (ECR), which includes Meloni and Fiala, the “positive” rate drops to 47%.

Leftists who have fallen out with the mainstream on the issue of ammunition transportation are divided into two, with 40% saying they are “positive” and 42% saying they are “negative.”

Among supporters of the far-right party Identity and Democracy (ID), “negative” opinions (53%) convincingly overshadow “positive” opinions (26%).

Overall, Zelensky is a love-hate figure, provoking strong reactions from both sides of the debate. The percentage of respondents who say they do not have sufficient knowledge is limited regardless of country, gender, age group, occupation, or political party affiliation.

From Macron to Putin

The exclusive Euronews/Ipsos poll also provides insight into how Europeans feel about other prominent leaders on the continent.

French President Emmanuel Macron ranks second in the favorability rankings, with 41% of respondents having a “positive” opinion of him, compared to 34% who have a “negative” opinion. was. Unsurprisingly, the French public is its harshest critic, with a whopping 62% choosing it “negative” and only 28% choosing it “positive”.

Macron’s popularity is the majority sentiment in Romania (57%), Greece (55%), Germany (53%), Denmark (52%) and the Netherlands (50%).

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is causing further apathy. Thirty-eight percent of respondents said they “didn’t know enough” about the person leading the region’s largest economy, with 29% expressing a “positive” opinion and 33% expressing a “negative” opinion.

The four countries with the most distaste for the 65-year-old socialist are Germany (61% negative), Austria (47%), Greece (45%) and Poland (39%).

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Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, Spain’s Pedro Sánchez and Poland’s Donald Tusk are too protected from contempt by the option “I don’t know enough” (43%, 58% and 50% respectively). As a result, I can’t say I particularly like or dislike any of the three. Outside of Italy, Meloni is only disliked in Spain, where 44% of people have a “negative” opinion.

Interestingly, Romanian participants warmly support Meloni (54%), Sanchez (49%), and Tusk (53%), despite their very different backgrounds.

Hungary’s Viktor Orbán is another story. 48% of respondents had a “negative” opinion of the man who promoted “illiberal democracy”, repeatedly derailed EU decision-making and shamelessly accepted EU policy decisions. ing. Russia-friendly diplomacy. Only 15% of people have a “positive” evaluation of him. The remaining (37%) answered that they did not have sufficient knowledge.

Sweden (65%) and Finland (64%), where Orbán’s foot-dragging tactics are seen as delaying his bid for NATO, show the most disapproval, followed closely by Romania (60%), Poland (58%), and Finland (64%). Austria followed. (58%), Netherlands (56%), Germany (53%), Denmark (52%).

In Hungary, where Orbán rules with an overwhelming majority, 54% of participants had a “negative” opinion of the prime minister, while 32% had a “positive” opinion. . (This poll was conducted after the scandal that forced the vote. Hungarian President Katalin Novak Analysts say this is the biggest test of Orbán’s leadership.

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However, Orbán believes that Bulgaria tends to be more tolerant, with 47% saying they are “positive” and 24% saying they are “negative.”

The Euronews/Ipsos poll ends with a survey about the most reviled leader of all time, Russian President Vladimir Putin: 79% of respondents say he is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) I have a “negative” opinion of this man ukraine war crimes.

On the other hand, 10% had a “positive” opinion about him, and 11% were “unsure.”

Condemnation is overwhelming: Finland (94% negative), Sweden (91%), Denmark (91%), Poland (91%), Spain (90%), Portugal (89%), Netherlands (88%) )) and France (80%) lead the charge against the Kremlin’s notorious tenants.

Only four countries have a negative rate below the 60% threshold: Greece (59%), Hungary (57%), Slovakia (56%) and Bulgaria (48%).

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Once again, Bulgaria stands out as an exceptional case. Thirty-seven percent of respondents had a “positive” opinion of Putin, making him the highest rating overall.

This article concludes a series related to Euronews’ exclusive poll conducted by Ipsos. A total of 25,916 people, representing 96% of the EU population, were interviewed online and by telephone between 23 February and 5 March in 18 member states. You can check out the entire series at EU election hub.