What Moves Public Support for Aid to Ukraine? Issue Attention, Partisanship, and Normative Appeals

Abstract Since 2022, the United States has provided more aid to Ukraine than to any other country, but this policy has become increasingly contentious. Identifying the nature of public support for this aid is critical for public policy, but it also raises central issues for scholars studying foreign policy preferences. I conducted a preregistered survey experiment that varies partisan cues and the content of appeals to support aid to Ukraine. I find that these appeals are strongly conditioned by partisanship and attention to the issue. Among Democrats, normative appeals increase support. Among Republicans, and to a lesser extent, independents, a partisan appeal by Donald Trump reduces support. However, these findings only hold among respondents not following the issue closely. On this high-profile issue in a polarized setting, other appeals largely fail to move attitudes. These results point to a paradox. Those respondents most likely to be moved by appeals for or against aid to Ukraine are also those paying the least attention to the issue, which suggests it will be difficult to move public attitudes on support for aid to Ukraine.