According to the
CNN/ORC International survey released today almost 60 percent
of Americans support the U.S. and its allies using sanctions
against Russia in order to pressure Moscow into removing forces
from Crimea. The poll also found that more Americans approve than
disapprove of how President Obama has been handling the ongoing
crisis in Crimea by 48 percent to 43 percent.
Although most Americans do support sanctions on Russia in
response to the situation in Crimea the use of sanctions is opposed
by 55 percent of Americans under the age of 35. CNN Polling
Director Keating Holland believes that young Americans’ comparative
hesitancy regarding sanctions on Russia may have something to do
with the fact that they don’t have the memories of the Cold War
that older Americans do. From CNN:
More than six in 10 older Americans support sanctions, but 55%
of Americans under the age of 35 oppose them,” said CNN Polling
Director Keating Holland. “It’s possible that generation gap is due
to older Americans’ memories of the Soviet Union as the chief
threat to the U.S.; many younger Americans may have no memory at
all of the Cold War and most of those under the age of 25 were not
even born when the Soviet Union collapsed.”
While almost 59 percent of Americans do support the U.S. and its
allies imposing sanctions on Russia slightly over half oppose
sending economic aid to Ukraine, and over 75 percent are against
sending military supplies to Ukraine.
When it comes to possible military responses to the Ukraine
crisis Americans are overwhelmingly opposed, with only 12 percent
of respondents saying they would support having American troops on
the ground in Ukraine and 17 percent saying they would support U.S.
airstrikes on Russia forces in Ukraine.
This is not the first time during Obama’s presidency that
polling has shown that Americans oppose military responses to
international crises.
Shortly after the chemical attack in Syria last summer
Reuters/Ipsos poll found that
only 9 percent of Americans favored a U.S. military
response.
Earlier today Reason.com published an
article by Steve Chapman on the futility of sanction on
Russia.
More from Reason.com on Ukraine here.
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