In early May the Russian Field research organization conducted a phone survey of 1,609 respondents from all Russia’s regions to ask whether they support the so-called “special military operation” in Ukraine. In particular, the list of questions included “would you cancel the “special operation?” – those who answered affirmatively were considered opponents of the war and those who answered negatively were considered supporters.

Fifty-five percent of the respondents said they wouldn’t cancel the “special operation.” The highest support was seen among law enforcement employees (80%), pensioners (63%), civil servants (62%) and housing and communal services workers (54%); 59% of men and 52% of women voiced support. Most of the “supporters,” according to the survey, live in the Far East and Central federal districts.

They generally get their information about Ukraine from TV (66%) and news on Yandex/Google (56%) and by word of mouth (50%). According to 79% of “supporters,” the war is going well for the Russian army. Most favor continuing the war (84%) and are satisfied with the situation in Russia (73%). They blame the rising tensions, as well as the responsibility for sanctions, on the US, NATO, the EU and Ukraine (72%). “Supporters” would like to restore the borders of the Soviet Union (77%) and believe that the war will strengthen Russia’s position in the world (71%).

Twenty-nine percent of the respondents favored canceling the “special operation,” with the biggest opposition coming from those involved in science/academia (85%), advertising and media (54%) and culture (40%) and students and the unemployed (about 40%). Twenty-five percent of men and 32% women voiced opposition. Most live in the North Caucasus and Siberian federal districts.

“Opponents” read online media (47%), browse VK groups (48%) and Telegram channels (38%) and watch news on YouTube (42%). Most of them think the “special operation” is going poorly for the Russian army (72%) and that it’s worth moving toward peace negotiations (63%). They are generally dissatisfied with the situation in Russia (51%) and are sure that Russia is to blame for the rising tensions (93%). They mostly believe that the war won’t strengthen Russia’s position in the world (65%) and that it isn’t worth trying to restore the borders of the Soviet Union (66%).

As you can see from the survey, support for the “special operation” rises with age and income: young people and low-income citizens are more likely to have a negative attitude toward the war than the elderly and wealthy. “Supporters” aren’t worried about their savings (71%), while “opponents” tend to have concerns (47%). The share of “opponents” is higher among those who have been abroad than those who haven’t (34% versus 25%). Interestingly, both “supporters” (60%) and “opponents” (65%) have friends or relatives in Ukraine.

Digest written by the Russia.Post editorial team. See the original here.