(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in Canada regard United States president George W. Bush in a negative light, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies. 57 per cent of respondents report feeling displeasure towards Bush, while 53 per cent feel disgust.

Respondents to this online survey were asked to click up to four words to describe their feelings towards four world leaders—Bush, Russian president Vladimir Putin, Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez, and former Cuban president Fidel Castro—while looking at a portrait of each of them. The list of 16 different emotions was compiled in accordance with Robert Plutchik’s psycho-evolutionary theory of emotion.

Fear is the top emotion associated with Putin at 40 per cent, followed by displeasure with 39 per cent, and contempt with 23 per cent. For Chávez, displeasure is at the top of the list with 42 per cent, followed by contempt with 31 per cent, and disgust with 30 per cent. Castro garnered mixed reviews, with 36 per cent of respondents mentioning displeasure, 30 per cent saying sadness and 29 per cent recalling both acceptance and wonder.

Bush—a Republican—earned a second four-year term in the November 2004 presidential election. Putin has served as Russia’s president since 2000, and is expected to step down and become the country’s prime minister in May. Chávez—a left-leaning leader—has been in office in Venezuela since February 1999. Castro—who became the de facto leader of Cuba in 1959, following the conclusion of the revolution he led to overthrow Fulgencio Batista—officially turned power over to his brother Raúl on Feb. 24.

In November 2004, Bush officially visited Canada for the first time. Ottawa was the site of a mostly peaceful protest with an estimated 5,000 demonstrators. During a press conference, Bush said he wanted to "thank the few Canadians who came out to wave—with all five fingers—for their hospitality."

Polling Data

Please select up to 4 words that describe feelings you have about (U.S. president George W. Bush, Russian president Vladimir Putin, Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez, Cuban leader Fidel Castro).

Source: Angus Reid Strategies
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,008 Canadian adults, conducted on Mar. 5 and Mar. 6, 2008. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.

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