The FINANCIAL — While sometimes critics say many are not aware of what might be happening outside their country's own borders, adults in these six countries are aware of Russia's annexation of Crimea and the ongoing international crisis in Ukraine.
The FINANCIAL — While sometimes critics say many are not aware of what might be happening outside their country's own borders, adults in these six countries are aware of Russia's annexation of Crimea and the ongoing international crisis in Ukraine. More than four in five adults in Germany (87%), Spain (86%), France (85%) and Italy (84%), as well as over three-quarters of adults in Great Britain (78%) and the United States (76%) are aware of this, according to a recent Financial Times/Harris Poll in five largest Europena countries and the U.S.
These are some of the findings of a Financial Times/Harris Poll conducted online among 5,206 adults aged 16-64 in France (1,000), Germany (1,022), Great Britain (1,030) and Spain (1,021), and adults aged 18-64 in Italy (1,019), between April 23 and 28, 2014 and 2,046 adults, 18 and older in the United States between May 8 and 12, 2014.
Looking at reaction to Russia's intervention in Ukraine, about half (52%) of those Americans who knew about the annexation say that the US's reaction to the intervention was about right, but over one-third (37%) say it was too weak and one in ten (11%) say it was too strong. When it comes to the EU's reaction to the intervention, among those who were aware of the annexation more than three in five Spaniards (63%), three in five French adults (59%), over half of Italians (55%) and almost half of Germans (48%) say the EU's reaction was too weak. British adults who knew about the annexation are a little more divided, as 45% say it was too weak and 43% say it was about right, according to Harris Interactive Inc.
There is also a sense that the sanctions that have been imposed will not do much to curb Russia's behavior. Looking at the sanctions the EU has imposed, among those who knew about the annexation more than four in five French (82%), four in five Britons and Germans (80% each), three-quarters of Spaniards (75%) and two-thirds of Italians (67%) all say these sanctions will not have any impact. Among U.S. adults who were aware of the annexation by Russia, two-thirds (66%) say that the existing U.S. sanctions that have been imposed will not have any impact on Russia's behavior.
In fact, strong majorities of those who were aware of the annexation in each of these six countries would support harsher sanctions against Russia. Almost three-quarters of Spaniards (74%) and Americans (73%), seven in ten Italians (72%), Britons (71%) and French (69%) and three in five Germans (61%) all say they would support tougher sanctions against Russia. One-third of Spaniards who knew about the annexation (33%) and almost three in ten Americans (28%) would strongly support tougher sanctions, according to Harris Interactive Inc.
Discussion about this post