One Year Later, are Canadians Starting to Lose Interest in Ukraine?

Toronto, ON, February 24, 2023 – One year ago Russian troops and tanks poured over Ukraine’s border, triggering the largest conflict in Europe since the second world war. One year later, the war is still raging, with little hope that it will end anytime soon. To counter the Russian advance, Western countries, including Canada, have sent billions of dollars of humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine. As this conflict has transitioned from a rapid mobile war to a war of attrition, how do Canadians feel about the conflict and the assistance provided by the government?

In March 2022, three quarters (74%) of Canadians said they were following stories about the Russian invasion closely (29% very/45% fairly). One year later, only six-in-ten (58%) continue to follow news about the invasion closely (17% very/42% fairly), and 65% (24% strongly; 41% somewhat) say they are just as concerned about the war in Ukraine as when it started in 2022. Though the proportion of Canadians who are closely following the invasion has declined, it still holds space in their minds as the amount of those who say they aren’t following the invasion at all has only marginally increased, moving from 5% in March 2022 to 9% this year.

Those who continue to follow the invasion closely are more likely to be male (69% vs. 48% for women) and over 55 years old (69% vs. 18-34: 53%; 35-54: 52%). Meanwhile, younger Canadians appear to have moved on to other headlines and are less likely to closely follow the invasion (18-34: 47%; 35-54: 48% vs. 31%).

Currently, just over half (52%) of Canadians believe that the Canadian government is doing enough to support the war in Ukraine. This is a slight increase from last year when 48% of Canadians believed that Canada was providing the right level of support to Ukraine. When considering how much support Canada should provide to Ukraine, it is interesting to see how Canadians now view their obligation to aid Ukraine in it’s fight against Russia:

• One quarter (25%) agree (10% strongly/16% somewhat) with the statement that the war in Ukraine is none of our business, while just two-in-ten (20%) agreed last year (7% strongly/13% somewhat).
• Half (48%) agree (20% strongly/28% somewhat) with the statement that given the current economic crisis, Canada cannot afford to give financial support to Ukraine, while 45% agreed one year ago (14% strongly/32% somewhat).
• Six-in-ten (63%) agree (23% strongly/40% somewhat) with the idea that Canada must support democratic countries when they are attacked by non-democratic countries, while eight-in-ten (81%) agreed (34% strongly/47% somewhat) this time last year.
• One third (33%) believe (14% strongly/19% somewhat) that Canada should stay out of Ukraine's problems because Ukraine is not a NATO country and we have no treaty obligation to them, while one quarter (25%) believed (9% strongly/16% somewhat) this a year ago.

Based on these results, it appears Canadians’ interest in the conflict and support for Ukraine may be starting to wane as the war drags on. Canadians appear to be turning inwards more as they experience increased economic hardship as evidenced by the marked decrease in the proportion of those who believe Canada must support democratic countries when they are attacked by non-democratic countries (-18 points). Indeed, a third (33%) say (7% strongly, 26% somewhat) that they are not as concerned as they were a year ago about the conflict escalating beyond Russia and Ukraine.

Only four-in-ten (39%) Canadians believe that the economic sanctions we have placed on Russia are the most effective way for Canada to stop this invasion, while six-in-ten (59%) believed this last year. This 20-point drop may not come as a surprise given that Russia has not bowed to international pressure, while bans on Russian oil and gas have generated price increases on global markets and generated major energy supply problems in Western Europe.

About the Study

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between February 15 and 17, 2023, on behalf of Global News. For this survey, a sample of 1,350 Canadians aged 18+ was interviewed. Quotas and weighting were employed to ensure that the sample’s composition reflects that of the Canadian population according to census parameters. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within ± 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had all Canadians aged 18+ been polled. The credibility interval will be wider among subsets of the population. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

Darrell Bricker
CEO, Ipsos Global Public Affairs
+1 416 324 2001
[email protected]

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