Nearly half of Americans say they are very concerned that Russia would attack the US directly with nuclear weapons, and another 3 in 10 are somewhat concerned, according to the new Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll. Russian President Wladimir Putin placed his country’s nuclear forces on high alert shortly after the February 24 invasion.
About nine in 10 Americans are at least somewhat concerned that Putin may use a nuclear weapon against Ukraine, including about six in 10 who are very concerned.
“He’s out of control, and I don’t think he really cares about anything except what he wants,” he said Robin Thompson, a retired researcher from Amherst, Massachusetts. “And he has nuclear weapons.”
Seventy-one percent of Americans say the invasion has increased the likelihood that nuclear weapons will be used anywhere in the world.
The poll was conducted ahead of North Korea’s test launch of its largest ICBM on Friday, but also shows that 51% of Americans say they are very concerned about the US threat posed by North Korea’s nuclear program. Another 29% expressed moderate concern.
In the latest AP-NORC poll, nearly half of Americans say they are “extremely” or “very” concerned that the US could be drawn into a war with Russia. About four in 10 Americans said they were “somewhat” concerned.
The findings reflect not only concerns about what appears to be a proxy war with Russia, even if the US is not directly involved in the conflict, but also unprecedented coverage of the war by traditional news outlets and social media.
“We see what’s happening to these poor people almost every moment,” he said Linda Woodwarda retired phone company technician from Hot Springs Village, Arkansas.
Concerns about nuclear war cut across party lines and even resonated with some young adults born after the Cold War.