Adults in Western Europe and the United States overwhelmingly want companies to shutter their Russian business operations, according to the Morning Consult survey conducted in the United States, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Spain.
Since the beginning of Russia’s war in Ukraine, U.S. and Western European adults have been paying a lot of attention to the companies that keep doing business in Russia. On average, 77% of Europeans and 75% of U.S. adults said they had heard “some” or “a lot” about companies withdrawing from Russia after it invaded Ukraine.
Companies that insist on staying in Russia run reputational risks. Most people in Western Europe and the United States highly disapprove of companies’ decisions to continue “business as usual” in Russia. Net support for doing so ranges from -22 to -54 among U.S. and European adults. Meanwhile, net approval of total withdrawal from Russian markets ranges from +30 to almost +60.
Consumers also have little appetite for corporate whitewashing. More adults than not in Western Europe and the United States want companies to donate to Ukrainian causes, but not as a quid pro quo for remaining in Russia. Substantial shares of each support corporate activism in providing humanitarian aid and employment opportunities to Ukrainians, as long as it comes without strings attached.