Survey: Do Europeans really support Ukraine?

Many Europeans show their support for the Ukrainians. But how big is that support? To find out, Yalta European Strategy (YES) and the Jean-Jaurès Foundation entrusted Ifop with carrying out a large survey of French, German, Italian and Polish public opinion, the results of which are analyzed by Gilles Finchelstein, Amandine Clavaud and Jérémie Peltier.

Would the war led by Russia in Ukraine crystallize the unity of Europeans in this period of extreme tension on the international scene and in a tragic humanitarian context?

At the government level, they unite behind Ukraine while avoiding an escalation and working, as much as possible, for a diplomatic outcome. At the level of public opinion, many Europeans support Ukraine in the streets or through numerous initiatives.

Reading the results in these countries, which together account for 55% of the total population of the European Union, obviously shows nuances, of a historical, geographical, sociological and political order – both between the four countries and inside each of them.

But the message of this survey is unequivocal: the peoples of Europe are massively support Ukraine.

The six key points of massive French support for Ukraine

• 82% have a good opinion of Ukraine, 21% of Russia.
• 65% have a good opinion of Volodymyr Zelensky (21% having no opinion); 12% of Vladimir Putin.
• 72% approve of economic and financial sanctions against Russia (of which 48% approve “totally”).
• 65% approve of the supply of military equipment to Ukraine and 80% of the reception of refugees (+36 points compared to the 2015 crisis).
• 62% support Ukraine’s entry into the European Union (+33 points compared to 2014 after the invasion of Crimea).
• 68% are in favor of the creation of a European army.

The six key points of massive European support for Ukraine

• 84% have a good opinion of Ukraine, 16% of Russia.
• 75% have a good opinion of Volodymyr Zelensky; 9% of Vladimir Putin.
• 79% approve of economic and financial sanctions against Russia (including 57% who approve “totally”).
• 67% approve of the supply of military equipment to Ukraine and 87% of the reception of refugees.
• 71% support Ukraine’s entry into the European Union.
• 68% are in favor of the creation of a European army.

Methodology

European views on the crisis in Ukraine, Ifop survey for Yalta European Strategy (YES) and the Jean-Jaurès Foundation, carried out by self-administered online questionnaire from March 3 to 7, 2022 on a representative sample ensured by the quota method (sex , age, profession of the respondent) after stratification by region and category of agglomeration.

The survey was conducted among the following samples, each representative of the national population aged 18 and over:

• France: 1,002 people,
• Germany: 1,011 people,
• Italy: 1,001 people,
• Poland: 994 people.

Weight of the countries investigated in the population of the European Union:

• France: 15.1%,
• Germany: 18.6%,
• Italy: 13.2%,
• Poland: 8.5%.

The figures indicating the average of the four countries constitute a weighted average according to the population of each of them.