What We Know About American Public Opinion and Ukraine

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A review of available public opinion data establishes several basic conclusions about Americans’ views of the situation in Ukraine, recognizing that opinions are fluid and subject to change as the situation there continues to unfold.

Americans are following the Ukraine situation closely, as might be imagined given its dominance of daily news coverage. A recent Wall Street Journal poll shows 89% of U.S. voters are following the situation there very or somewhat closely. Pew Research shows 69% of Americans have read or heard a lot about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with most of the rest saying they have read or heard at least a little.

The fact that Americans are paying close attention to Ukraine does not necessarily translate into perceptions that it is this country’s highest priority. CONTINUED

Frank Newport, Gallup

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Biden’s Uncertainty Principle

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The “return to normalcy” in American life is starting to look something like the horizon: It recedes whenever you approach it. For President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats anxious about the November midterm elections, nothing could be more ominous.

Last summer’s Delta wave dashed hopes that the deployment of COVID vaccines would quickly carry the United States back to a pre-pandemic stasis. The persistence of inflation undermined expectations from the Biden administration and Federal Reserve Board that high prices would be a temporary inconvenience. The Omicron wave that surged over the winter defied any expectation that the country was past high caseloads, crowded hospitals, and pitched battles over masking, school closings, and other public-health protections. Each time social and economic normalcy seemed imminent, it dissolved.

Now that may be happening again. CONTINUED

Ronald Brownstein, The Atlantic

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United and Still Polarized

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… Patrick Murray, the director of the Monmouth Poll, wrote this week that when they asked respondents to use a word to describe the state of the country, the most common response was “divided.” And, while “fewer Americans feel we are becoming more divided than we have been over the past few years,” Murray wrote, “this disunity remains the dominant image of the state of the country.”

This helps to explain the seeming contradiction of American voters who, one the on hand, support the actions the Biden Administration is taking against Russia, yet also tell pollsters they disapprove of the job the president is doing.

Americans may be rallying around the flag, but they aren’t rallying around the president. CONTINUED

Amy Walter, Cook Political Report with Amy Walter

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Amid War and Disease, World Happiness Report Shows Bright Spot

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In this troubled time of war and pandemic, the World Happiness Report 2022 reports a bright light in dark times. The pandemic brought not only pain and suffering but also an increase in social support and benevolence. As we battle the ills of disease and war, it is especially important to remember the universal desire for happiness and the capacity of individuals to rally to each other’s support in times of great need.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the World Happiness Report, which uses global survey data to report on how people evaluate their own lives in more than 150 countries around the world. CONTINUED

Sustainable Development Solutions Network

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CBS News poll analysis: After two years, most say COVID divided the country

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Over the last two years, the country has witnessed illness and lives lost as a result of the COVID pandemic, but there is another lasting collective impact: division. Fighting the virus is an effort that Americans say has divided the country, not united it.

The splits in public opinion we see today have been part of the lasting divisions during the pandemic, between those most concerned and taking steps — getting vaccinated, wearing masks, supporting restrictions — associated with that concern, and the fewer who are not as likely to take those steps, oppose many restrictions, and are less concerned. CONTINUED

Anthony Salvanto, Jennifer De Pinto & Fred Backus, CBS News

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More boosters, more variants, but less concern: Americans face future of COVID pandemic

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Two years in, Americans’ concern about COVID-19 has dropped to its lowest level since the CBS News poll started tracking it in the spring of 2020, but they aren’t ready to say the pandemic is over. Most foresee a lasting vigilance, including a need for more booster shots, and most expect more variants down the road, albeit less dangerous ones. Few feel the virus will disappear entirely in the coming year.

On a personal level, many say the pandemic has left lasting changes in their own lives, both in how they live and how they work. CONTINUED

Jennifer De Pinto, Anthony Salvanto & Fred Backus, CBS News

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