Nearly 7 in 10 Americans support Russian sanctions even if energy prices jump, poll finds

Gasoline pump.
(Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Americans are, for the most part, rallying behind economic sanctions on Russia as punishment for its globally-derided invasion of Ukraine, even if the measures ultimately cause higher energy prices back home, according to a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Institute of Public Opinion poll.

Per the results, 83 percent of Americans are in favor of sanctions, with 69 percent — including 58 percent of Republicans — in support "even if it results in higher energy prices in the United States," Marist writes. Inflation, and its subsequent effect on gas prices, has been a key issue confounding both Democrats and President Biden as of late.

A majority of Americans also support how Biden is handling the crisis in Ukraine, with 52 percent now in approval of Biden's management, up from 34 percent last week, Marist notes.

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As a cherry on top (at least for the president), Biden's overall approval rating has bounced to 47 percent following his State of the Union and the Russian invasion, up 8 points from a February NPR poll, NPR writes.

"This is an unusual bounce," said Director Lee Miringoff of Marist. "It gets him back to where he was pre-Afghanistan."

Brigid Kennedy

Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.