As a statistician, I tend to believe that Data > Opinion. And with the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine, there is a lot of publicly available survey data about how Americans feel about the war, and America’s involvement in it.
To break it down a bit, below I will look at several polls taken since the invasion began, take the ‘highest’ or ‘most agreed upon’ response in each question, and then break out that sentiment by partisanship (where available).
At the end, I’ll share my conclusion of how Americans feel, and how that may differ by party.
From The Economist / YouGov Poll conducted February 26 – March 1, 2022:
Q: How concerned are you, if at all, about the ongoing Russia-Ukraine situation?
46% Very concerned
35% Fairly concerned
9% Not very concerned
5% Not at all concerned
5% Don’t know
If this were my survey, I would generally combine ‘Very’ and ‘Fairly’ once the results came in to provide a ‘total concerned’, and as such, we see that around* 81% of adults are concerned about the ongoing Russia-Ukraine situation. *I say ‘around 81%’ because I can’t see raw counts and don’t know the rounding situation of 46% and 35%.
Breaking down this question a little further, I will ‘roughly’ combine very concerned and fairly concerned totals by party ID:
Total Concerned
85% Democratic
81% Independent
82% Republican
Q: Do you approve or disapprove of the U.S. government’s economic sanctions on Russia?
40% Strongly approve
24% Somewhat approve
10% Somewhat disapprove
5% Strongly disapprove
21% Not sure
We see that roughly 64% of American adults ‘approve’ of the U.S. government’s economic sanctions. That approval by party ID:
Total Approve
73% Democratic
61% Independent
67% Republican
Q: Would you approve or disapprove of the U.S. government imposing additional sanctions on Russia?
40% Yes, even if the sanctions cause gas prices in the U.S. to rise
27% Yes, but only if the sanctions don’t cause gas prices to rise
11% No, they should not impose additional sanctions
22% Unsure
As combining the two ‘yes’ categories here would be a little messy/not equitable, I will instead look at the percent of folks who say ‘no, they should not impose additional sanctions’ on Russia by party ID:
Total No
9% Democratic
13% Independent
12% Republican
Q: In terms of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, do you think the U.S. government’s response…
49% Should be tougher
9% Should be less tough
19% Is about right
23% Unsure
Should be tougher, by party ID:
46% Democratic
47% Independent
60% Republican
Q: Do you think each of the following courses of action is a good idea or bad idea?...Enforcing a no-fly zone over Ukraine
45% Good idea
20% Bad idea
35% Not sure
Good idea, by party ID:
49% Democratic
41% Independent
50% Republican
From a Quinnipiac Poll conducted February 25 – 27, 2022:
Q: As you may know, President Biden approved the deployment of thousands of troops to Eastern Europe to support U.S. allies in NATO, such as Poland and Romania. Do you support or oppose that decision?
70% Support
21% Oppose
9% DK / NA
Support, by party ID:
85% Democratic
70% Independent
64% Republican
Q: Do you think the steps that the Biden administration has taken to punish Russia for the invasion of Ukraine have been too tough on Russia, not tough enough on Russia, or have they been about right?
3% Too tough
57% Not tough enough
29% About right*
11% Don’t know
Not tough enough, by party ID:
44% Democratic
56% Independent
80% Republican
*Note: 47% of Democrats think Biden’s response has been 'about right'
Q: Do you think the United States is doing too much, too little, or about the right amount to help Ukraine?
7% Too much
45% Too little
37% About right*
Too little, by party ID:
38% Democratic
45% Independent
61% Republican
*Note: 53% of Democrats think U.S. is doing 'about the right' amount to help Ukraine
Q: If Russia invades a NATO country, do you think American troops should get involved, or don’t you think so?
70% Yes/Should
21% No
9% DK/NA
Yes/Should, by party ID:
76% Democratic
72% Independent
69% Republican
From a CNN Poll conducted February 25 – 26, 2022:
Q: In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, do you favor or oppose increased economic sanctions against Russia?
83% Favor
17% Oppose
Favor, by party ID:
84% Democratic
81% Independent
84% Republican
Q: Do you think the United States should do more to stop Russian military actions in Ukraine, or has it already done enough?
62% Should do more
38% Has done enough
Should do more, by party ID:
64% Democratic
57% Independent
65% Republican
Q: If economic sanctions do not stop Russian military actions in Ukraine, would you favor or oppose the U.S. taking military action to stop them?
42% Support
58% Oppose
Oppose, by party ID:
44% Democratic
40% Independent
44% Republican
Q: How worried are you that the war in Ukraine will lead to Russian attacks elsewhere?
77% Very/Somewhat worried (net)
23% Not too/Not at all worried (net)
Net Worried, by party ID:
79% Democratic
75% Independent
78% Republican
Key Takeaways:
At a time when it seems Americans cannot agree on much, there is a lot of similar sentiment with regard to the war in Ukraine.
A strong majority of Americans are concerned about the ongoing Russia-Ukraine situation.
Over 6-in-10 Americans approve of the U.S. government’s economic sanctions on Russia, with over 60% support among Democrats, Independents, and Republicans alike.
Only about 1-in-10 Americans believe the U.S. government should not impose additional sanctions on Russia.
While directly sending troops to Ukraine only receives support from around 4-in-10 Americans, a majority of Americans think we can be doing more:
Over 8-in-10 Americans favor increased economic sanctions against Russia. With over 80% support from Democrats, Independents, and Republicans.
Over 6-in-10 Americans believe the United States should do more to stop Russian military actions in Ukraine. This is supported by a majority of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans.
A plurality of Americans think it is a good idea to enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine. A plurality of Democrats and Independents, and half of Republicans agree.
Finally, over three-quarters of Americans are worried that the war with Ukraine will lead to Russian attacks elsewhere.
If Russia were to invade a NATO country, 7-in-10 Americans think U.S. troops should get involved. This is supported by a majority of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans.
Please note, none of this data is owned or produced by the Bullfinch Group. This data is pulled from available public polling. These are not our opinions, but rather our analysis of American sentiment regarding the invasion of Ukraine.