Mar 16, 2022 - Politics & Policy

35% of Americans favor military action, even if it risks nuclear conflict: Pew

Ivana Saric

Aftermath of the shelling of a residential building by Russian troops in the Svyatoshyn district of Kyiv, capital of Ukraine, on March 15. Photo: Pavlo Bahmut/Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images

About 35% of Americans favor the U.S. taking military action in Ukraine, even if it risks sparking a nuclear conflict, a new Pew Research Center survey found.

Why it matters: The U.S. has categorically declined to commit to the establishment of a no-fly zone — a key request by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — for fear that it would potentially bring NATO and the U.S. into direct conflict with Russia, a nuclear power.

Details: While 35% of people surveyed said they would "somewhat favor" or "strongly favor" the U.S. taking military action even if it risks nuclear conflict with Russia, 62% said they would oppose taking steps that risk a nuclear conflict.

85% of Americans support the strict economic sanctions on Russia, with 85% of Republicans and 88% of Democrats in favor of maintaining the sanctions, the survey found.
42% of respondents said the U.S. should be providing more support to Ukraine.
47% of those surveyed said they approve the Biden administration's response to Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

Methodology: The Pew Research Center survey was conducted between March 7-13, 2022, on a nationally representative sample of 10,441 U.S. adults from the Center's American Trends Panel. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 1.5 percentage points.

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35% of Americans favor military action, even if it risks nuclear conflict: Pew

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