This perception is the result of relentless anti-Western propaganda, Russian sociologist Lev Gudkov of the independent Levada Centre in Moscow said when presenting the findings in Berlin.
On behalf of the German Sakharov Foundation, the centre examined the views of Russians after nearly four years of war in Ukraine.
The centre is classified as a "foreign agent" in Russia.
In the more than 30 years since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia has experienced only six years without war, Gudkov said, speaking of a "militarisation of consciousness."
Among the more than 1600 respondents, 62 per cent described Poland and Lithuania as hostile countries, followed by the United Kingdom (57 per cent), Germany (50 per cent) and Sweden (40 per cent). The United States, meanwhile, was predominantly viewed as a competitor rather than an enemy (53 per cent).
When asked to name five friendly countries, respondents most frequently cited Belarus, China, Kazakhstan, India and North Korea. With the exception of India, these countries are considered repressive or authoritarian states.
The image of the United States among Russians has fluctuated over the decades. It deteriorated under former US president Joe Biden due to US support for Ukraine, Gudkov said, but improved when Donald Trump took office, raising hopes of a swift end to the war.
"People are tired of the war," Gudkov said. Many had transferred their hopes to Trump because it was clear that Russian President Vladimir Putin would not end the war and there was little they could do to influence him.
However, the desire for peace does not imply a willingness to compromise: "Russians are convinced that Ukraine will give up and capitulate."
The war is widely seen in Russia as having been imposed by the West.
In 1998, 36 per cent of respondents agreed with the statement that Russia had never been an aggressor or initiator of conflicts with other countries.
By 2024, two years after the invasion of Ukraine, this figure had risen to 65 per cent.
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