International survey by Cygnal/Gradus Research/Response:AI shows willingness of Westerners to increase support for Ukraine

A new international survey conducted on March 6-7, 2022, has shown significant support in the West for financial and arms assistance to Ukraine, but limited desire for a "closed sky" or all-out war. The large-scale research was initiated by the American company Cygnal, which invited Gradus Research (Kyiv) and Response:AI (Prague) to partner. Together, they interviewed more than 3,500 citizens of Ukraine, the UK, the US and the EU.

The overwhelming majority of Ukrainians (89%) ask NATO to join the fight, while Western respondents are divided on whether to provide air and ground support to Ukraine in its military fight against russia. Importantly, in Western countries, twice as many respondents support (completely or somewhat) the decision to use military capabilities and "close the sky" over Ukraine. The number of supporters of this idea in the US, UK and EU is 45%, 46% and 46%, respectively, while 20%, 20% and 17% of respondents oppose it, respectively.

75% of European respondents support providing financial assistance to Ukraine, 62% support providing weapons, 46% support a flight ban, and 38% are in favor of joining a military response. Almost as many, 37%, oppose any military involvement. Support for joining military action is slightly lower in Poland, on the front line of the conflict, with 30%. This is in contrast to the UK, where 42% support military involvement, and, interestingly, Spain, where 57% express support.

"We have to remember that the war is not only between russia and Ukraine, but between the civilized world of Western democracies and archaic autocracy. That is why it is extremely important for our Western allies to listen to the opinions of their fellow citizens and protect the democratic world with actions, not words. All forms of assistance (financial and weapons) are warmly supported by societies. The #CloseTheSky flash mob has spread across Ukraine and the world and is now the expectation of Ukrainians and international communities. Do more, don't hesitate!" citizens are telling their governments because they realize that there is a war for the values on which their societies are based," comments Evgeniya Bliznyuk, CEO & Founder of Gradus Research.

Coverage of the conflict in Ukraine dominates the media in all countries. More than 75% of respondents in the US, UK and EU have followed the war in Ukraine in one way or another through social media. 72% of Ukrainians say they have followed the war to a large extent on social media. In all surveyed countries, Facebook is the main social network for receiving information about the war, while only the younger generation receives a lot of information on Instagram and/or TikTok.

In all countries surveyed, people who followed the conflict through social media are favorably disposed toward Zelenskyy and are much more likely to support any type of support for Ukraine, including the deployment of troops. Ukrainians who follow the war on social media are much more optimistic about the country's actions and the outcome of the war.

You can download the full research report here.

Gradus Research was chosen because its methodology of data collection - self-filling questionnaires through a smartphone application - allows for accurate and fast results. The methodology was tested during the Covid restrictions and now, during the war, is one of the most reliable, thanks to the uninterrupted operation of Ukrainian mobile operators. The national panel in Gradus smartphones consists of more than 40 thousand respondents aged 18-60 living in cities of 50 thousand+. In addition, Gradus has a traditional qualitative and quantitative research division.

Cygnal is a research and consulting company that has been conducting research since 2011. They use a multi-mode polling methodology that in 2018 earned Cygnal the title of the most accurate polling company according to The New York Times and the best Republican Party polling company (2018, 2020) according to FiveThirtyEight. Cygnal's president is Brent Buchanan. Read more.

RESPONSE:AI is a research company with offices in Prague, Dallas, and Tokyo that aims to introduce advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, into sociology to democratize market research. The CEO is Frederick Barber. Read more.