Starting in February 2022, the Russia-Ukraine war had a profound global impact. It raised security concerns, transformed public sentiment, news agendas, and social media content. Statista's report "Public and media sentiment over the Russia-Ukraine war" explores the interplay between public opinion and media sentiment regarding the conflict.

Hamburg, Germany. The Russia-Ukraine war has remarkably impacted people's perceptions, leading to behavioral changes, shifts in energy consumption, and altered media preferences. Public engagement and political inclinations have influenced reactions to crucial government decisions, such as providing weapons to Ukraine and imposing sanctions on Russia. Additionally, political sentiment has shaped consumer attitudes toward businesses operating in Russia.

In this landscape, media and social media platforms greatly influence public opinion during the conflict. Language and tone shape attitudes toward events in news reports and social media posts. Statista's new Trend Report, "Public and media sentiment over the Russia-Ukraine war", examines the interplay of global public opinion, media coverage, and social media sentiment.

Dual perspectives in global public opinion about the Russia-Ukraine war

Two viewpoints have emerged on the war. In Ukraine and most of the Western countries, negative views towards Russia prevail, with 69 percent of U.S. respondents holding intensely unfavorable perceptions. These regions believe the war should continue until Ukraine regains its territory. Conversely, countries with neutral or pro-Russia governments see Russia as stronger since the conflict began, with 63 percent of Indian respondents sharing this sentiment. Citizens in these nations prefer an end to the fighting, even if it requires territorial concessions from Ukraine.

The war has significantly affected the social media landscape

In 2022, online articles mentioning Ukraine multiplied by three, surpassing Russia for the first time, totaling over 9.3 million worldwide. These articles covered various topics such as Western sanctions, military aid, the nuclear threat, Ukrainian refugees, supply chain impact, and Russian mobilization during 2022 and 2023. The tone of articles mentioning Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy significantly deteriorated globally, while Putin's sentiment score also declined notably in 2022 compared to 2017, according to Statista. Analysis using GDELT Project data revealed that countries without Russia sanctions, like Belarus, exhibited fewer negative tones in online war articles compared to countries imposing restrictions and supporting Ukraine, such as the U.S.

Moreover, the war led to a surge in negative tweets worldwide, with Russian and Ukrainian publications remaining less positive. However, there has been an improvement in English-language tweets. Online articles mentioning Ukraine tripled, surpassing those mentioning Russia. Countries without Russia sanctions showed less negativity in online war articles. Notably, approximately 30 million English-language tweets mentioned "war" between February 2022 and March 2023, highlighting the ongoing relevance and public discourse surrounding the conflict.

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