Poll: amid russia ukraine war, Americans divided over Biden's influence on military aid

A plurality of Americans believe the U.S. is providing the right amount of military support for Ukraine

by APM RESEARCH LAB | August 8, 2022

On February 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin initiated military action
in Ukrainian territory citing “the eastward expansion of NATO, which is moving its military infrastructure ever closer to the Russian border,” as his major justification.

In his address to the United States following the invasion, President Biden said, “Putin is the aggressor. Putin chose this war. And now he and his country will bear the consequences.”

The Pentagon called the attack, “Russia’s unfounded and unprovoked war against Ukraine,” and Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said in a meeting with NATO Allies, “The United States stands united with our Allies and partners to support Ukraine and to deter aggression against NATO, while avoiding conflict with Russia.”

Since then, the United States government has committed $8.1 billion in military assistance and weaponry to Ukraine, including at least 59 million rounds of ammunition, 10,000 grenade launchers and small arms, and thousands of anti-armor and anti-aircraft systems capable of piercing through planes and tanks.

So what do the American people think about the military support the U.S. is giving to Ukraine and who do they believe should be responsible for deciding the aid the U.S. provides? The McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State’s most recent Mood of the Nation Poll, conducted May 11-19, 2022, finds that a plurality of Americans (about 45%) believe the U.S. is providing the right amount of military aid to Ukraine. And most Americans (73%) also believe that top military officials should have a great deal or a fair amount of influence over the type and amount of aid distributed to Ukraine.

How much should the U.S. support Ukraine?

When asked about the level of support the U.S. is giving the Ukrainian military in its war with Russia, 45% of Americans said the U.S. is providing the right amount of support, 31% felt the U.S. is providing too much support to Ukraine, and 25% believed the U.S. is not providing enough support.

There is variation within these overall figures, however, especially across political affiliation, race and generations.

On average, those who feel the U.S. has not provided enough assistance tend to be more educated, more affluent, and older than those who feel current levels are sufficient or too high. In addition,
women and white respondents tended to favor more assistance for Ukraine, as compared to men and Americans of other races and ethnicities.

Opinions on how much the U.S. should support Ukraine is strongly divided based on political affiliation. A majority of Democrat (56%) respondents believe the U.S. is providing the right amount of support for Ukraine, while 40% of Independents and 34% of Republicans believe the same. On the other hand, Republicans (46%) and Independents (42%) were far more likely than Democrats (11%) to believe the U.S. was providing too much support for Ukraine.

Opinions on supporting Ukraine also vary significantly by racial and ethnic group. A majority of Hispanic (61%) and Black (58%) Americans believe the U.S. is providing the right amount of support for Ukraine, compared with 40% of white respondents and 33% of those in other racial or ethnic groups who believe the same.

The Silent Generation (Americans ages 77 and older) is by far the most likely of any generation or demographic group to believe the U.S. is not providing enough assistance to Ukraine, with 46% of Americans in this age group holding this view. Among Americans ages 26 to 76—those from the Millennial, Gen X, and Baby Boom generations—24% believe the U.S. isn’t providing enough support to Ukraine. And 19% of Americans between 18 and 25 also believe the U.S. should provide more support to Ukraine.

However, 40% of Americans in Generation X, who are between the ages of 42 and 57, held the opposite view. They believe the United States is giving too much support for Ukraine. Generation X is the age group that held this view most often, followed by the oldest members of Generation Z who are between 18 and 25 years of age, 35% of whom also believe the U.S. is providing too much support for Ukraine.

Fifty-one percent of Baby Boomers believe the U.S. is providing the exact right amount of support for Ukraine and is the generation most likely to believe this. In contrast, less than 40% of Generation X and the Silent Generation hold this view.

Who should influence U.S. policy in Ukraine?

Survey respondents were presented with a list of six individuals, groups or institutions that could impact U.S. military assistance for Ukraine and were asked their opinion on the amount of influence each entity should have in influencing that aid.

Nearly three-quarters (73%) of Americans said the U.S. military should have a great deal or fair amount of influence over how Ukraine is supported. And 66% percent of Americans believed experts on Ukraine and Russia within the U.S. Department of State should have a great deal or a fair amount of influence over U.S. support for Ukraine.

Note: See previous poll results related to educational policy, public health and inflation.

U.S. allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization—a military alliance comprised of 30 countries such as Poland, Germany, Canada, the U.S. and the U.K.—came in third, with 62% of Americans believing NATO Allies should have a great deal or fair amount of influence in the matter.

Fifty-nine percent of Americans believe the U.S. Congress should have a great deal or fair amount of influence in deciding U.S. support for Ukraine, and 57% of Americans believe the American people through opinion polls should have the same amount of influence.

Americans’ opinions on Biden are the most divided, with 52% believing the President should have strong influence over deciding the amount and type of military assistance going to Ukraine. Forty-nine percent believe he should have little or no influence in the matter. An equal percentage of Americans, however, believe Biden should have a great deal of influence (29%) on how Ukraine is supported as those who believe he should have none at all (29%).

However, depending on the identities Americans hold, opinions on who should greatly influence U.S. aid to Ukraine vary. The differences of opinion between demographic groups is especially dramatic across age groups and political affiliation.

The youngest generations (Generation Z and Millennials) are less likely to believe any entity listed should have a great deal of influence over U.S. assistance to Ukraine. While the Silent Generation (77 and over) is, in every case, the most likely generation to believe a particular entity should exercise a great deal of influence in deciding U.S. military aid to Ukraine.

The generational differences are most extreme when looking at perceptions of what President Biden’s influence should be. Americans between 18-25 years of age are the least likely to believe
Biden should have great influence over U.S. military support for Ukraine, with only 13% believing Biden should exercise that much power. In contrast, nearly three times more Americans (37%) in the Silent Generation believe Biden should wield a great deal of influence over the U.S.’s military aid to Ukraine.

In addition, older Americans are far more likely to believe that top military officials and America’s NATO allies should have the most influence in deciding military support for Ukraine. Twenty-six percent of 18-to-25-year-olds believe top military officials should wield great influence over Ukraine military aid—while 52% of those 77 and older believe top military officials should have that level of influence. Forty-eight percent of Americans 77 and older also believe NATO allies should exercise a great deal of influence over Ukraine aid. That proportion drops to 21% among 18-to-25-year-olds.

Not many differences of opinion exist between racial groups, with regards to who should have the most influence over U.S. aid to Ukraine—except as it relates to President Biden. Nearly half (48%) of Black Americans believe President Biden should wield a great deal of influence over military aid to Ukraine. In contrast, among white Americans, exactly half that percentage (24%) believed the same about what Biden’s level of influence should be in determining military support.

Americans of different political affiliations also have divergent opinions on Biden’s influence in deciding military aid to Ukraine. More than half (53%) of Democrats believe President Biden should exercise great influence over military assistance to Ukraine, while only 13% of Independents and 10% of Republicans feel the same way.

In their own words: Why different entities should exercise
a great deal of influence over U.S. military aid to Ukraine

To better understand why Americans favored the influence of one entity over others, the May Mood of the Nation survey included the following open-ended question:

“You said that with respect to military assistance to Ukraine, <any of the entities chosen to have “a great deal of influence” in the preceding question> should have a great deal of influence. Can you tell us why they should have more influence than <any of the entities named in the preceding question and rated as less than “a great deal of influence”>?”

Below are some of the responses:

The automated question above elicited a wide combination of comparisons depending on each respondent’s answers to a preceding question, but common themes emerged from the unstructured responses.

By far the most common theme to emerge from respondents’ verbatim answers to the open-ended question had to do with expertise and experience. About 40% of those who gave a response to the open-ended question said the person, group or institution who they thought should have a great deal of influence over U.S. military assistance to Ukraine were those with the most expertise of military tactics, logistics and weaponry, with intelligence regarding the current situation in the war between Ukraine and Russia, or with knowledge of the history and cultures of the two countries.

The second most common theme that emerged from answers to the open-ended questions was displeasure with the job performance of the current president. About one in six respondents expressed a distrust of President Biden’s ability to carry out his duties as a reason why another entity should have greater influence. Many of the answers in this category had to do with a
belief that Biden has dementia, has no idea what is going on, and is a puppet for others.

Another common theme among respondents includes the belief that the persons or entities they selected had the most influence to decide U.S. aid to Ukraine based on their legal responsibilities or position of authority. About one in six respondents chose this answer, usually to say the President or Congress had the responsibility to decide matters of government finances or military assistance.

Read several additional examples of respondents’ reasoning in their own words in the detailed report.

PARTNER FOR THIS SURVEY

The McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State promotes scholarship and practical innovations that defend and advance democracy in the United States and abroad. Through teaching, research and public outreach, the Institute leverages the resources of Penn State and partners around the world to foster a model of deliberation, policymaking and responsiveness that is passionate, informed and civil.

The Institute’s Mood of the Nation poll offers a unique approach to public opinion polling. It allows Americans to speak in their own words through open-ended questions that focus on emotions like anger and hope, as well as commitment to constitutional principles.

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