Russia’s invasion of Ukraine instigated a humanitarian crisis and rekindled the embers of the Cold War era, provoking a unified response from the West as well as most of the free world. The mostly financial nature of that response threatens to wreak havoc on the American and global economies, and the specter of potential escalation into a broader military conflict is casting a pall over the international order. Morning Consult is tracking how views of the ongoing conflict among Americans and adults around the world are shifting in the wake of Russia’s invasion, and you can find fresh data here each week.
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Key Takeaways
Americans Decreasingly See Ukraine’s Protection as a U.S. Responsibility: For the second week in a row, the share of voters who believe the United States has an obligation to defend Ukraine is down, falling to 44% from a tracking high of 50% two weeks ago. After a drop of 9 percentage points since last week, Republicans (32%) are the least likely to perceive such an obligation, compared with 57% of Democrats (down 3 points on the week) and 40% of independents (up 6 points).
Partisan Gap on Support for Russian Sanctions Solidifies: Three in 5 Democratic voters support sanctions on Russia — even at the risk of exacerbating inflation — compared with 43% of Republicans who say the same — a gap of 17 points that ballooned from a 6-point margin measured in the initial tracking survey conducted on the day of the invasion. Support among GOP voters for sanctions that may cause inflation has fallen from a high of 53% in early April, as Democratic backing has held steady.
Only a Quarter of Americans Say the U.S. Is Not Doing Enough: At a record low since tracking began, only 1 in 4 voters say America is not doing enough to halt the Russian invasion of Ukraine, down from a high of 37% in mid-March. There is now little partisan disagreement on the issue: About as many Democrats (23%) and Republicans (25%) say not enough is being done, with only slightly more independents (29%) holding that view.
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Less Than Half of U.S. Voters See Defense and Protection of Ukraine as America’s Responsibility
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