POLL: Latinos most likely to defend U.S. if invaded

A new poll on Americans’ attitudes toward the invasion in Ukraine found that Hispanics were the demographic most likely to report they would stay and fight to defend the U.S. if it were invaded by another country.

When American adults were asked to imagine that they were in the same position as Ukrainians are now, 55% said they would fight while 38% said they would leave the country, according to a poll by Quinnipiac University Poll. The remaining 7% said they did not know or were indifferent.

"When confronted with a terrible hypothetical that would put them in the shoes of the Ukrainians, Americans say they would stand and fight rather than seek safety in another country,” said Tim Malloy, a polling analyst at Quinnipiac.

The report also provided breakdowns in a few different categories like gender, politics and race. 70% of American men said they would stay and fight while 24% said they would leave. Women tended to believe the opposite, with 40% saying they would stay and fight while 52% reported they would flee.

When examined along political lines, Quinnipiac found Republicans were the most likely to say they would stay and fight at 68%, followed by independents at 57%. Forty percent of Democrats said they would stay, while 52% said they would flee.

The poll only broke race down to white, black and Hispanic. It found 61% of Hispanics said they would stay and fight, compared to 57% of whites and 38% of blacks.

Younger respondents were more likely to leave the country, a trend that reversed at age 65+. However, a college education did not significantly affect answers, with 55% of those with at least a 4-year college agreeing to stay and fight compared to 58% of those without.

The poll covered a wide range of related topics, such as President Joe Biden’s performance on Ukraine, military options, and support for refugees. Data was collection from Mar. 4-6 from 1,374 U.S. adults with a margin of error of +/- 2.6%. 

Biden’s approval rating has fallen since an 8-point bump after the State of the Union because of the invasion of Ukraine, especially among Latinos.