A wide majority of Americans view China as a much greater threat both economically and security-wise to the United States than Russia, a Wall Street Journal survey released on Friday shows.
The survey also shows very little support among Americans for direct United States intervention to stop the Russian war in Ukraine, though Americans do support providing aid to the Ukrainians in terms of both weapons and humanitarian assistance.
When asked which nation poses the greatest economic threat to the United States, an overwhelming supermajority of 73 percent of respondents answered China—whereas only 14 percent said Russia. Two percent said North Korea and 1 percent said Iran, while 3 percent said another nation and 8 percent did not know or refused to answer.
When asked which nation poses the greatest security threat to the United States, a majority—52 percent—also said China, while only 32 percent said Russia. Four percent said North Korea, 1 percent said Iran, 3 percent said another nation, and 9 percent did not know or refused to answer.
In addition to continuing to view China as a much greater threat to America than Russia both economically and militarily despite Russian president Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, Americans are very skeptical of U.S. intervention in Ukraine. When asked what America should do in response, only 10 percent said the U.S. should send troops into Ukraine. What’s more, only 25 percent said the United States should send more troops to other European nations nearby—a high level of skepticism among the public of involving the United States military in yet another war just months after ending the nation’s longest one ever in Afghanistan in the middle of last year.
Americans are also not very supportive of creating a no-fly zone over Ukraine—an act that would represent war against Russia as it would mean U.S. Air Force jets enforcing it by having to shoot down violators—with only 29 percent of respondents backing that measure, which has been proposed by many lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and is pushed by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
Despite the strong skepticism of a war-weary American public, Americans do support at majority levels both placing harsh sanctions on the Russians and providing military and other aid to Ukrainians. The Wall Street Journal survey found that 55 percent support “sending more military aid to Ukraine, such as weapons and equipment” and that 55 percent also support “placing more economic sanctions on Russia.”
A total of 79 percent—57 percent strongly and 22 percent somewhat—also support specifically banning Russian oil imports to the United States, even if it will cause gas prices and inflation to surge more than they have already, largely due to President Joe Biden’s policies.
The poll, conducted for the Wall Street Journal by Democrat firm Impact Research and GOP firm Fabrizio, Lee & Associates from March 2 to March 7, surveyed 1,500 registered voters and has a 2.5 percent margin of error.
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