The global response to economic sanctions against Russia is not only a matter of policy but also one of public perception. This study examines public sentiment toward these sanctions, analyzing nearly a million social media posts across 108 countries to determine how opinions vary based on geopolitical alignment, economic ties, and political regimes.
The findings reveal a clear geographical divide. Support for sanctions is strongest in Western nations, particularly in the United States, Canada, and across Europe, where governments have taken a firm stance against Russia’s actions. In contrast, public sentiment is more divided in Asia and Africa, especially in countries with close economic or political ties to Russia. The study finds that economic ties shape attitudes in an asymmetric way: public support for sanctions is stronger in countries on which Russia depends heavily for its own imports, yet markedly weaker in countries whose economies depend on exporting goods to Russia.
Beyond economic factors, the paper highlights the influence of political systems on public sentiment. Whereas many Western and several Latin-American democracies show public sentiment that broadly mirrors their governments’ pro-sanction votes at the United Nations, the paper documents sizeable divergences between citizen attitudes and official stances in a number of Asian and African states, indicating that such alignment is far from universal. In contrast, authoritarian or politically unstable nations display more mixed reactions, with lower levels of public support and a wider gap between government positions and popular sentiment.
The study also highlights the role of international narratives in shaping perceptions. The framing of the war and sanctions in national media outlets influences public attitudes, contributing to diverging viewpoints between regions. The authors suggest that contrasting media narratives, evidenced by the prominence of “media channels” among the most frequent discussion themes, may help explain cross-country differences in sentiment.
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