Views on Ukraine differ widely, informal survey finds

Readers support negotiations - public much less so

If you feel that your opinions about the war in Ukraine are quite different than the views of your neighbours – you’re not alone.

The results of a recent unofficial poll last month on the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine found that PeaceQuest readers are generally much more likely to support peace negotiations in Ukraine than the Canadian public might be.

Of the 171 people who answered the informal survey, fully 80% agreed with the statement, “Ukraine should negotiate peace with Russia.” But only 23% of Canadians shared that opinion according to a poll by Angus Reid Institute – a 57-point gap.

There are marked differences over other questions about the Ukraine war, too.

For instance, when asked for how long, if at all, should Canada continue to provide military assistance to Ukraine, one-in-four PeaceQuest readers agreed that, “Canada has done enough, it should stop providing military assistance now,” while just a mere 2% of Canadians felt the same way.

The third question about the possibility of the use of nuclear weapons by Russia saw a much greater level of accord between PeaceQuest readers and Canadians, with 57% of readers saying they were very concerned that Russia might use nuclear weapons if it continues to struggle to accomplish its military goals in Ukraine.

A slightly greater percentage of the Canadian public, 67%, said they were very concerned about nuclear war. However, on the question of Russia going nuclear, one-in-four PeaceQuest readers didn’t offer an opinion, while only one-in-twenty of the Canadian public said were unsure or didn’t know.

In February on the first anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation’s military, we invited readers to answer three questions about the future of the war. Then, we showed survey-takers how Canadians generally answer the same questions, according to Angus Reid Institute. We thank everyone who partcicipated.