Americans Differentiate Between Russia’s Leadership and Its People
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Poll Shows Most Americans View Russia, Not Russians, As an Enemy
An April poll of American public opinion on the Ukraine conflict had an interesting finding: 88 percent of respondents said they would be comfortable having a Russian friend or neighbor despite most identifying Russia as an enemy (62 percent). About seven of ten said Russia’s actions in Ukraine are unjustified. Most viewed Vladimir Putin negatively (77 percent) and identified Russia as the sole war crimes perpetrator (54 percent).
“This is the 13th collaboration between NORC and the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. By combining the Harris School’s policy expertise, NORC’s methodological rigor, AmeriSpeak’s speed and affordability, and The AP-NORC Center’s distribution capacity, the polls provide policymakers and the public with reliable insights into timely topics.”
Bipartisan Disapproval of Russia’s Actions Continues
While the poll reveals significant differences based on age and partisanship, it also shows stable attitudes in the past year, including continued bipartisan disapproval of Russia’s actions. NORC conducted the survey in partnership with the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and used the AmeriSpeak® Omnibus. This is the fourth poll NORC has conducted asking Americans about the war in Ukraine since the conflict began last year. There will likely be additional surveys, depending on the course of events.
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