Pollster says Americans back Russian sanctions due to ‘overwhelming’ support of Ukraine

A senior pollster with Change Research said an overwhelming majority of Americans support tough sanctions on Russia, even at a personal cost, because “people are eager” to support Ukraine as the country fights off an unprovoked Russian invasion.

Nancy Zdunkewicz told Hill.TV on Wednesday that Americans were willing to suffer at the gas pump for supporting a ban on Russian oil to stand up for a cause.

“There is such an overwhelming reaction right now to what is happening in Ukraine,” Zdunkewicz said.

But the pollster wondered how long the support on tough sanctions would last.

“You have to ask the question, is this just about expressing any desire to do something, or will they really draw the line at some point when they start to internalize the costs?” she asked.

The Biden administration on Tuesday announced a ban on Russian oil in the U.S.

According to a new poll from Change Research, 71 percent of Americans support aggressive economic sanctions on Russia, even if it means higher gas prices, while 20 percent support sanctions as long as they don’t lead to higher gas prices, and nine percent support no economic sanctions on Russia.

The polling is consistent with others released this week, including a Quinnipiac University poll.

Zdunkewicz said even Republicans, who consistently seem to be most upset about high gas prices, were willing to support a ban on Russian oil. About 84 percent of Republicans support blocking Russian energy exports, according to Change Research.

“The ones that are most inclined to want to hold the administration’s feet to the fire and make them politically responsible for the price of gas,” she said, “would support this even when we say it will lead to higher gas prices.”