TAMPA, Fla. — A survey from the University of South Florida is asking Floridians about their opinions on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The survey found a majority of Floridians support an aggressive U.S. response to the invasion. 34 percent say that U.S. economic sanctions imposed against Russia have been appropriate, but 45 percent feel the U.S. response has not been aggressive enough.
A large majority of 74 percent are in favor of the U.S. providing more military support to Ukraine in the form of weapons and ammunition.
On Wednesday, President Joe Biden approved an $800 million package of military assistance, including additional helicopters and the first provision of American artillery.
When it comes to Florida’s economic involvement with Russia, an overwhelming majority of 86 percent support the state divesting assets in response to Russia’s actions. Florida currently holds as much as $300 million in investments linked to Russia and Russian- based companies.
For the survey, 600 adult Floridians were asked questions between the end of March and the middle of April. Experts say the results are reported with a 95 percent confidence level and had balanced quotas for gender, age, race/ethnicity, education and party affiliation.
The results of USF’s survey are relatively on par with a national survey from Pew Research. In that survey, roughly a third of Americans believe the U.S. is providing the right amount of support to Ukraine, while 42 percent believe the U.S. should be doing more.
However, the survey from Pew Research shows 62 percent of Americans would oppose “taking military action even if it risks a nuclear conflict with Russia.”
According to the Council on Foreign Relations, there have been more than 2,600 civilian casualties since the invasion began in February. More than 4.1 million refugees have fled Ukraine. The United Nations, G7, EU and other countries have continued to tighten sanctions and condemn the actions of Russia. During an emergency United Nations session, 141 out of the 193 member states voted to condemn the invasion, demanding it cease immediately.