More than 8 in 10 US voters following Russia invasion of Ukraine: poll

More than eight in 10 registered voters in the United States say they are following news about Russia's military attack on Ukraine, according to a NewsNation poll out Wednesday.

Only 14 percent of respondents said they were not following the news about the invasion closely and 3 percent not at all. Nearly 84 percent said they were following the invasion very much or moderately, with 39 percent putting themselves in the former category.

The poll underscores the degree to which Americans are paying attention to Russia's military attack on its neighbor, which began two weeks ago and has escalated with strikes targeting civilian areas in Ukraine. Thousands are believed to have perished and the United Nations has estimated some 2 million people have fled Ukraine amid the fighting.

The NewsNation poll found strong backing for economic sanctions on Russia, with about 70 percent of registered voters polled saying they support such measures to punish Russian President Vladimir Putin. Seventy-three percent said they support the U.S. supplying Ukraine with weapons to defend themselves.

Sixty-five percent also said they would support sanctions on Russia when told the measures would increase domestic gas prices.

The survey was conducted between March 5 and 7, before President Biden's announcement that the U.S. would ban Russian oil, natural gas and coal imports as part of the administration's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Biden has also unveiled a range of sanctions on Russian banks and Russian elites, including wealthy Russians and Putin himself.

The poll also found that Americans have a negative view of Putin, with 83 percent of respondents saying they hold an unfavorable view of the Russian leader. When asked whether Putin or Biden is a stronger leader, 31 percent of respondents said Biden and 29 percent chose Putin, while 31 percent said neither was a strong leader and 10 percent said they were unsure.

The poll, which was conducted by DecisionDeskHQ News, surveyed 1,021 U.S. registered voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

NewsNation correspondent Leland Vittert will analyze the results of the poll on his show at 8 p.m. ET.