Russians' attitudes towards the war in Ukraine

Wollast, Robin, Phillips, Joseph B., Yahiiaev, Illia, Malysheva, Karine, Klein, Olivier and Sengupta, Nikhil K. 2024. Russians' attitudes towards the war in Ukraine. European Journal of Social Psychology 10.1002/ejsp.3118

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Abstract

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has caused considerable military casualties on both sides and widespread harm to Ukrainian civilians. While polls suggest that a slim majority of Russians endorse the invasion, the factors underpinning this support remain uncertain. We investigated factors associated with support for the war among Russians. In three large, diverse, samples of Russian adults (total N = 2856), we extend the dual process motivational model to the context of international warfare, focusing on two key ideologies: right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) and social dominance orientation (SDO). Consistent with polling data, we find that approximately half of the participants support the war. Across studies, RWA, especially its submission facet, emerges as a strong and consistent predictor of increased support for the war in Ukraine. In contrast, the associations with SDO are weaker and more inconsistent, with anti-egalitarianism playing only a minor role in opposing peace efforts. Additionally, factors such as Russian identification, nationalism, group efficacy, war-related misperceptions and collective narcissism also contribute to war support. Our findings suggest that Russian support for the war may reflect broader support for the existing regime with backing for the military intervention serving as a demonstration of loyalty to Vladimir Putin and his government.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	In Press
Schools:	Cardiff Law & Politics Department of Politics and International Relations (POLIR)
Publisher:	Wiley
ISSN:	0046-2772
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	16 September 2024
Date of Acceptance:	13 September 2024
Last Modified:	21 Oct 2024 08:38
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/172151

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