{"id":32192,"title":"Anxious we Stand: Despite Worries, Europeans Remain Steadfast in Support for Ukraine","link":"https:\/\/bst-europe.eu\/de\/europe-in-the-world\/anxious-we-stand-despite-worries-europeans-remain-steadfast-in-support-for-ukraine\/","date":"22. Februar 2023","date_unix":1677097267,"date_modified_unix":1747997840,"date_iso":"2023-02-22T20:21:07+00:00","content":"

As the cold of winter settles across Europe, analysts and policymakers alike have sought signs of waning public support for Ukraine. Yet the latest eupinions slides, entitled „Anxious we stand?“ indicate that a year into the war, Europeans still remain broadly supportive of the Ukrainian cause.<\/p>\n

The survey, taken in December 2022, indicates that a majority of EU citizens believe that Ukraine will prevail over Russia \u2013 and that Russia\u2019s war of aggression is ultimately an attack on the whole of Europe. However, many have doubts about the efficacy of sanctions as a means of checking Russia\u2019s actions, and overall anxiety levels are high.<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, the data indicates that Europeans remain steadfast in their support of Ukraine \u2013 perhaps more so than had generally been assumed. This gives European governments considerable leeway to continue providing support to Ukraine as long as they remain transparent and consistent in communicating their goals and intentions.<\/p>\n

Assessing resolve, plumbing anxieties<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The survey, with a sample size of 13,300 individuals, is representative of the EU as a whole, as well as of the seven member states of Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain.<\/p>\n

First, we examined a series of claims and values often evoked in discussions about the war while also examining ideas about responsibility for the conflict. Specifically, we asked respondents to agree or disagree with the following claims:<\/p>\n

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  1. Ukraine will win this war.<\/li>\n
  2. Russia\u2019s attack on Ukraine is an attack on all of Europe.<\/li>\n
  3. Ukrainians also defend our freedom and prosperity, not just their own.<\/li>\n
  4. Ukrainians have been attacked and need to defend themselves. Thus, only Ukrainians can decide when to fight and when to negotiate.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    These were followed by a pair of related questions:<\/p>\n

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    1. Economic and financial sanctions on Russia are supposed to support Ukraine in its war effort. Do you think these sanctions are: Effective? Ineffective? I don’t know.<\/li>\n
    2. Who bears primary responsibility for the war in Ukraine? Russia? NATO? USA? I don’t know.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Finally, we measured anxiety and nostalgia about the state of the world. We asked respondents to agree or disagree with the following statements:<\/p>\n

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      1. The world used to be a much better place.<\/li>\n
      2. The world is a dangerous place.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Those who agreed with both statements were deemed to be \u201chighly anxious.\u201d The subsequent analysis examined how feelings about the war differed, if at all, between the highly anxious population and the population at large.<\/p>\n

        Strong majorities support Ukraine across the EU<\/strong><\/h2>\n

        A year into the war, European support for Ukraine remains resilient across a number of measures. Specifically:<\/p>\n

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        • Across the EU, 61% of respondents said they believed Ukraine would ultimately prevail in the conflict. Italians (51%) and Germans (55%) were less optimistic in this regard, while Poles (81%) showed the most confidence.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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