IT IS TEMPTING to assume that Americans are always divided over matters of politics and foreign policy. Indeed, most of them view the world through their red or blue partisan lenses. The single best predictor of how voters feel about, say, health care and gun control is who they cast their ballots for in the last election. But in times of conflict there are exemptions to the rule. After the attacks of September 11th, for instance, the American government was able to unite the country against terrorists living 7,000 miles (11,260 km) away in the mountains of Afghanistan. A similar unity is now spreading throughout the country. It takes the form of opposition to the invasion of Ukraine by Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president.

In a public opinion poll conducted by YouGov between February 26th and March 1st (after Mr Putin’s war began), 60% of Americans said they “care a lot” about what happens in Ukraine. That is an increase from just under 40% in the survey conducted the week before. Only 10% of those polled said they did not care at all about the events in the country. Seventy-six per cent of respondents said Russia represented either an “immediate and serious” or “somewhat serious” threat to America. Nearly equal shares of Republicans and Democrats said so.

Members of both parties also agreed on what the government should do in response to Mr Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Around three-quarters of both Democrats and Republicans said they thought imposing economic sanctions on Russia was a good idea; 60% of Democrats and 65% of Republicans said they would be in favour of their government shipping arms to Ukrainians. The largest split was over whether Ukraine should be allowed to join NATO. Forty-six per cent of Republicans thought that was a good idea, compared with 58% of Democrats. Even among Republicans, that was a handsome plurality: 19% thought it was a bad idea.

Americans are admittedly more polarised when it comes to the way their president, Joe Biden, has handled his response. Sixty-eight per cent of Democrats approve, compared with only 21% of Republicans (67% of them are opposed). Americans may be capable of uniting when they are considering their country’s position relative to another superpower. But politics is still political.■

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