One year on, Britons remain in favour of supporting Ukraine
One year after Russian invaded Ukraine, Britons remain concerned about Ukrainian civilians and the UK's national security, but stay committed to helping those in Ukraine
- Majorities support sending weapons, money and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, and two in three support Britain’s current role in the conflict.
- Large proportions remain concerned about the impact the war will have on Ukrainian civilians, the UK economy and UK national safety, while President Zelenskyy continues to be rated highly.
- 3 in 5 agree economic sanctions on Russia are necessary, even if prices of energy and food remain higher for a while.
As we reach the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Britons remain largely supportive of providing help to Ukraine in many ways. Overall, almost 7 in 10 (68%) support Britain’s current role in the Ukraine conflict, up 8ppt since October 2022, while only around 1 in 10 do not (11%). Half say the UK has provided about the right amount of support to Ukraine (49%) while 1 in 5 (21%) say we have given too little and 15% too much.
Looking more specifically, Britons are most likely to support the sending of humanitarian aid, such as food and medical supplies, to Ukraine (81%). Further majorities are in favour of sending weapons (64%) and money (61%), and of allowing more Ukrainian refugees to come to Britain (60%).
Almost 3 in 4 are in favour of the UK government implementing economic sanctions against Russia (73%) while only 9% disagree. And when asked as an explicit trade-off against higher prices, almost 6 in 10 (58%) agree economic sanctions against Russia are necessary to support Ukraine and encourage Russia to end the war, even if it means energy and food prices will remain higher for a while. Meanwhile, 1 in 5 (19%) say the sanctions on Russia aren’t worth the economic impact they are having in the UK on energy and food prices.
One year on, the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to play on people’s minds. Seven in 10 (71%) continue to pay close attention to news stories on the subject, similar to those following stories about the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria (68%), and above the upcoming public sector strikes (66%), Nicola Sturgeon’s resignation (44%) and the UK_EU negotiations about the Northern Ireland protocol (35%) – though more are following stories about the rising cost of living (87%). Meanwhile large proportions remain concerned about the impact of the invasion on Ukrainian civilians (83%), the UK economy (86%), UK national security and safety (74%) and themselves (62%).
Britons continue to view President Volodymyr Zelenskyy positively with 72% believing he has done a good job handling the invasion while only 8% disagree. Just under half (45%, up from 39% from last April) say the UK government has done well in its response, while a third feel the same for the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak (33%). A quarter say each has responded poorly. Around 4 in 10 (39%) say President Joe Biden has done a good job at handling the invasion, 20% disagree, while a third (32%) believe the EU has handled it well, 22% think not.
Gideon Skinner, head of political research at Ipsos, said:
On the anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine, there is little sign of Britons’ concern about the war falling, nor of their support for Ukraine fading. Broadly the public thinks the UK government is getting its role about right, with support highest for humanitarian aid but majority backing also for providing Ukraine money and weapons – and for continuing economic sanctions against Russia, even if that does mean higher prices for a while.
Technical note:
- Ipsos interviewed a representative quota sample of 1,000 adults aged 18-75 in Great Britain. Interviews took place on the online Omnibus 21st-22nd February 2023. Data has been weighted to the known offline population proportions. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.
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