Declining war support in Russia, poll
Pro-war respondents were more often the Russian state TV audience.
The research group Russian Field conducted polls among 1,600 people via phone calls between 7 and 12 November 2024. The question was: “Should Russia continue the military operation [Russian official term for the war in Ukraine] or move to peace talks?”53% supported the peace talks36% supported the continuation of the war “The share of those in favor of continuing the military operation reached its lowest level, and the share of those in favor of negotiations reached its highest level over the entire observation period,” the Russian Field study highlights. 79% of respondents stated that they would support Putin if he decided to immediately end the war and sign a peace agreement with Ukraine. This is an absolute maximum since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. The share of opponents of such a decision reached 13% – the minimum level for the entire observation period, Russian Field highlights.
The poll also shows that wealthier respondents and television viewers are more likely to support the continuation of the so-called 'military operation', while the poor are more likely to support negotiations.Industrial workers are most likely to support the continuation of the war, while IT, trade, and healthcare workers are most likely to support the peace talks. “Wealthy respondents and people without higher education more often state that the military operation is successful. Those with higher education, the audience of Telegram channels, and those who had wanted to prevent the start of the military operation more often state that the military operation is unsuccessful,” the Russian Field reports. As the desire to continue the war wanes among the population, the authorities are trying to come up with new measures to attract contract soldiers to the Russian army. President Putin recently signed a law on writing off debts on overdue loans of up to 10 million rubles (962,727$) for the “special operation participants”.
The new law will apply to those who sign a contract with the Russian military from December 1, 2024. According to experts, financial gain has been one of the major factors why many decide to sign up. The Barents Observer spoke to a man who went to war in order “to earn money for a place to live”. The New York Times reported that with fewer men willing to fight, Russia is focusing on cash incentives for those who sign up. Earlier this year, in the northern Russian city of Arkhangelsk, the contract money has been increased four times.Meanwhile, state-controlled polls by the Russian Public Opinion Research Centre (WCIOM) report that the war's popularity is on the rise, with 68% of Russians supporting the “special military operation” in 2024, which is up from 65% in 2022.
