Poll: Democrats Less Likely to Stay and Fight if Ukraine-Like Invasion Happened in U.S.

Republicans are more likely than Democrats to stay and fight if an invasion similar to the one happening in Ukraine occurred in the United States, a Quinnipiac University poll released this week found.

Out of 1,374 U.S. adults surveyed nationwide from March 4-6, 55 percent of Americans overall said they would stay and fight when “asked what they would do if they were in the same position as Ukrainians are now.” Thirty-eight percent said they would flee the country. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.

“When confronted with a terrible hypothetical that would put them in the shoes of the Ukrainians, Americans say they would stand and fight rather than seek safety in another country,” Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy said.

Divided by political party, 68 percent of GOP voters said they would stay in the U.S., compared to 40 percent of Democrats. More than half of Democrats —52 percent — “would leave the country,” compared to 25 percent of Republican voters. Independents are more closely aligned with Republicans on the matter, with 57 percent saying they would stay and fight and 36 percent saying they would leave the country.

Republicans and Democrats were less divided in their view of the Russia people. Eighty-three percent of GOP voters and 91 percent of Democrats do not think the “Russian people have a say in what Vladimir Putin and his government choose to do.” Over 70 percent of Democrats, Republicans, and independents also believe the Russian people do not “have a full understanding of what is happening in Ukraine” given what they know about their access to information.

“Russians are largely in the dark about and unable to halt the destruction being wrought by Putin, say Americans who see the Russian leader as mentally unstable. And half of Americans liken Putin to modern history’s darkest villain, Adolf Hitler,” Malloy said.

Nearly half of Americans — 49 percent — say the invasion has caused them anxiety, the poll found.

Americans broadly support a U.S. military response if Russian President Vladimir Putin attacks a NATO country, the poll found.  Americans are also likely to think 60 percent to 28 percent that Putin is willing to use nuclear weapons against NATO countries.

“As for how long Americans expect the war in Ukraine to last, 44 percent say months, 23 percent say years, 19 percent say weeks, and 14 percent did not offer an opinion,” according to the poll report.