75% consider Russia responsible for the conflict, according to a barometer from the Bertelsmann Foundation
MADRID, 16 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
62% of Spaniards believe that Ukraine will win a war for which they do not hesitate to blame Russia three out of four, according to a survey published by the Bertelsmann Foundation, which also shows that little confidence in the effectiveness of sanctions imposed on Moscow.
According to the eupinions barometer, carried out in seven EU countries including Spain, 61% of Europeans believe that Ukraine will emerge as the winner, a figure that rises to 62% in the case of Spaniards. The most skeptical of kyiv’s victory are Germans (55%) and Italians (51%).
The Spanish are also above average in terms of responsibility for the conflict. Thus, 75% point to Russia, while the European average stands at 66%. In the case of Poland, a country bordering Ukraine, 88% blame Moscow. For 8%, the person responsible is the United States, while 4% point to NATO, and 10% say they are unaware. Only 3% point to Ukraine.
Despite this fact, the effectiveness of the sanctions against Russia generates division among Europeans. Thus, only 40% of those surveyed consider that sanctions are an effective instrument, the same percentage that considers the opposite. In the case of Spain, 39% consider them ineffective, 41% believe that they do not work and the remaining 21% do not know.
On the other hand, 68% of Europeans consider that the Russian invasion constitutes an attack on the whole of Europe and not only on Ukraine. In the case of Spain, it is once again above the average, with 78%, almost at the same level as Poland, with 79%.
Likewise, 62% of Europeans believe that Ukraine is also fighting for the prosperity and freedom of Europe, a figure that rises to 71% in the case of Spaniards, but falls to 59% in Germany and Italy. On the other hand, 75% think that it has to be the Ukrainians who decide when to negotiate or continue fighting.
In another order of things, the barometer confirms a high level of concern among citizens about the conflict. Thus, 66% of the people consulted say they feel uneasy and affirm that the world is in a more dangerous situation than in previous times. In this case, of the seven countries consulted, the Spanish are the most concerned, 75%.
“Concern on the part of the public is exceptionally high at the moment. Not surprisingly, given the brutality of the war and the level of real threat,” says Isabell Hoffmann, Europe expert at the Bertelsmann Foundation.
The head of eupinions highlights that “those people who are very concerned continue to show their support for Ukraine, as well as the European citizenry in general.” “The data does not indicate that high levels of concern are correlated with lower support for Ukraine in its struggle for independence and self-determination,” she stresses.
The survey was carried out in December 2022 across the EU on a representative sample of 13,300 people in Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Poland and Spain.
