Approval ratings for world leaders (one chart). Guess who's #1!

What a load of crap. Those bums at the Visual Capitalist are err...capitalists!

The key is to invade your neighbor. Mexico is our #1 trade partner. That leaves Canada. Their government is left leaning and they drink Labatts. F-ck them. I say Voldemort takes them "out".

BTW in case you're wondering if my data below is BS, it's from Statistica and Levada. So suck it. Also his approval rating has spiked inside Russia every time he invaded Ukraine. First time was the Crimia invasion of 2014, then recently. So much for all the Western Journalists that claim he's unpopular at home because of the war.

PS. See below for some more facts about Putin's favorability ratings.

From ClaudeAI

The reliability question is complex and hotly debated. Here's what the research shows:

Arguments Supporting Reliability

A 2015 study using list experiments (a technique to elicit sensitive opinions) suggested Putin's high approval ratings mostly reflected sincere support PONARS Eurasia, though recent 2020-21 analyses paint a more ambiguous portrait with considerably more uncertainty about Putin's true support PONARS Eurasia.

Russian response rates are comparable to American National Elections Studies and often higher than most US opinion surveys Atlantic Council. Additionally, most polls—regardless of pollster or mode (online, phone, face-to-face)—show comparable results, suggesting consistency Atlantic Council.

Multiple indicators moved together in 2014: trust rose from 34% to 59%, the gap between Putin and the next most popular politician grew from 15 to 35 percentage points, and willingness to vote for him jumped from 30% to 57% Carnegie—suggesting genuine shifts rather than simple fabrication.

Arguments Questioning Reliability

High approval ratings don't necessarily reflect genuine loyalty or agreement with policies, but instead result from political apathy, symbolic allegiance, and lack of viable alternatives Therussiaprogram. Recent research shows approval of "Putin's performance" doesn't mean his decisions and actions align with his supporters' wishes Therussiaprogram.

Putin's rating is described as "abstract, Teflon-coated" — Russians view Putin not as a living authority figure but as a paternalistic symbol onto whom responsibility can be offloaded Therussiaprogram.

The numbers are probably real, but what they mean is debatable—high approval may reflect resignation, lack of alternatives, and symbolic loyalty rather than enthusiastic support for specific policies.