OTTAWA – NEWS – Abacus Data says that “In light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the horrific circumstances that have unfolded since, we’ve decided to dedicate our public polling this week to understanding Canadians’ mindset on the conflict and their support for what the Canadian government can do to help”.
The data below is based on 1,464 Canadian adults surveyed from March 4th to 8th, 2022.
STRONG SUPPORT FOR CANADIAN AID TO UKRAINE
- Canadians have been closely following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with 7 in 10 outright in support of Canadian assistance to Ukraine’s defence efforts and only 1 in 10 opposed.
RUSSIAN INSTIGATION WELL UNDERSTOOD
- Most Canadians’ understanding of the war is that Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded for a power grab. Few believe Russia’s stated goal of trying to protect innocent people from persecution or genocide.
STRONG SUPPORT FOR ECONOMIC SANCTIONS, ASSET SEIZURE & LARGE-SCALE AID EFFORTS
- In looking to understand public support dynamics, we tested several simple policy ideas, some of which have been pursued in one form or another since we began fielding our survey.
- We find widespread public appetite for the Canadian government enforcing economic measures like trade sanctions, oligarch asset seizure, and both humanitarian and weapons support.
CANADIANS SEE DEVASTATING IMPACT ON CIVILIANS; THINK WORST IS YET TO COME
- Canadians understand that this is not merely a war between armed groups relegated to disputed border areas, but that Russian forces are actively engaging in a full-scale invasion, committing war crimes and causing mass civilian casualties.
- Most believe that Russia is yet holding back releasing the full might of its forces.
PUBLIC PREFERENCE FOR A NO-FLY ZONE; MANY SEE SCENARIO FOR CDN BOOTS ON GROUND
- 2 in 3 Canadians support NATO enforcing a no-fly zone over Ukraine even at the risk of provoking a greater conflict between NATO and Russia.
MOST STILL OPTIMISTIC ABOUT OUTCOME
- At this time, the Canadian public remains optimistic about the outcome of the war. They believe that either Russia will take Ukraine in the short term but will inevitably exit in the long term, or that Russia will be stopped from its conquest by the international response.
