Majority of Voters Back Biden on Ukraine — Once They Learn About It

By Lew Blank, Ahmad Ali, and Devi Ruia

New polling from Data for Progress, conducted from February 27 to March 1, 2022, finds a majority of national likely voters back President Biden’s actions in response to Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine — once they learn about them. 

Initially, we find the president underwater in approval on his response to Russia, with a slim plurality of voters — 45 percent of voters in support, 48 percent in opposition — disapproving of the president’s job performance on Ukraine. Yet when voters learn about a number of recent actions the Biden Administration has taken against Russia, we find net approval jumps 36 points to a majority of likely voters — 63 percent — saying they back the president’s performance on Ukraine.

We also asked voters about their approval or disapproval of recent administrative actions Biden has used in the response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including: imposing direct financial sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin; providing $600 million in military support to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia; working with European allies to impose coordinated financial sanctions against the Russian economy; sending an additional 7,000 troops to support European allies, but not to Ukraine itself; imposing financial sanctions targeting businesses run by Russian oligarchs, wealthy businessmen with political influence in Russia; and calling upon Congress to allocate $6.4 billion to prevent Russian cyberattacks, help defend our allies, and assist Ukrainian refugees. We find that a majority of voters support each of these measures.

In addition, we tested three messages on the effects of Biden’s financial sanctions against Russia, and we find that all three messages in favor of sanctions outperform messages in opposition. Respondents were split into three groups; each group was shown a different supporting message and the same opposing message.

With regard to opposing sanctions, voters were shown the message: “President Biden is making the wrong decision by imposing sanctions on Russia. President Biden's financial sanctions will do more harm than good because they will disrupt the U.S. economy and make prices go up for American consumers. We need to put the needs of American consumers first and keep prices steady.” 

One group of voters was shown a supporting message centered on protecting the safety of the Ukrainian people and protecting Ukrainian democracy: “President Biden is making the right decision by imposing sanctions on Russia. President Biden's financial sanctions will hold Russia accountable for threatening the safety of millions of innocent people in Ukraine and across Europe. Even if it makes goods a little more expensive, the U.S. must act to help people in Ukraine protect democracy.”

By a +45-point margin, voters prefer this message in support of sanctions over the opposition message. This includes Democrats by a +77-point margin, Independents by a +41-point margin, and Republicans by a +12-point margin.

Another group of voters was shown a supporting message centered around defending American lives and American values: “President Biden is making the right decision by imposing sanctions on Russia. Russia is an authoritarian dictatorship that opposes American values. We must hold Russia accountable, even if it makes goods a little more expensive, to protect American lives and defend American values.”

Voters prefer this message in support of sanctions over the opposition message by a +48-point margin. This includes Democrats by a +76-point margin, Independents by a +51-point margin, and Republicans by a +18-point margin.

A third group of voters was shown a supporting message focused on preventing nuclear conflict and a third World War: “President Biden is making the right decision by imposing sanctions on Russia. Russia is a nuclear power, and its invasion of Ukraine is the first invasion of Europe since 1939. We must hold Russia accountable, even if it makes goods a little more expensive, to stop a potential nuclear conflict and prevent a third World War.”

We find that this is the most effective message. By a +55-point margin, voters prefer this message in support of sanctions over the opposition message. This includes Democrats by a +81-point margin, Independents by a +70-point margin, and Republicans by a +17-point margin.

Broadly, these findings show that the key elements of President Biden’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — including sanctions against Russia, sending troops to support European allies, and providing military support for Ukraine — are highly popular with voters, and informing voters about these actions significantly boosts their approval of the president’s overall response.