Below, we highlight some updates on how Americans’ opinions on the conflict between Russia and Ukraine have shifted in recent weeks:
- Russia’s threat level: 57% of Americans call Russia an “immediate and serious threat” to the U.S., up 12 percentage points in the last week. Among both Democrats and Republicans, the share who perceive Russia as a threat has risen.
- Care about the countries: Half of Americans say they care a lot about what happens in Russia, up 5 points from last week. More (62%) say they care a lot about what happens in Ukraine, up 2 points.
- Affecting America: Compared to last week (60%), a growing share of Americans now say that what happens in Russia affects the U.S. a lot (65%). Somewhat fewer (50%) now say that what happens in Ukraine affects the U.S. a lot, down 3 points.
- Staying sympathetic: The share of Americans who sympathize with Ukraine more than Russia in the conflict remains steady since last week, at 73%. Only 6% are more sympathetic with Russia and 21% are unsure whom to sympathize with.
Note: The vertical gray lines on each plot indicate the date that Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine is widely thought to have begun, February 24, 2022.
See the toplines and crosstabs from this Economist/YouGov Poll
Methodology: The Economist survey was conducted by YouGov using a nationally representative sample of 1,500 U.S. adult citizens interviewed online between March 5 - 8, 2022. This sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, and education based on the 2018 American Community Survey, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, as well as 2016 and 2020 Presidential votes (or non-votes). Respondents were selected from YouGov’s opt-in panel to be representative of all U.S. citizens. The margin of error is approximately 3% for the overall sample.
Image: Getty
