68% fear that the conflict may trigger a third world war, and as much as 90% expect a European economic and financial crisis. These are some of the results of the latest survey carried out by TNS-Ilres on behalf of RTL and the newspaper ‘Luxemburger Wort’. Many people also stated that the situation is taking a toll on their mental health.
82% of those surveyed stated that the war in Ukraine affected them strongly or even very strongly. According to Tommy Klein from TNS-Ilres, this is a particularly high number.
In comparison, Klein points out, after a year and a half of contact restrictions, masks, and pandemic in Luxembourg, 57% of the Luxembourg population felt personally overwhelmed. This shows how “serious” it is right now for the population, how worried they are, and how much this whole situation is affecting people, Klein explains.
It should also be pointed out that people show similar levels of concern and anxiety in all age categories and at different levels of education.
Klein explains that the survey also confirmed what TNS Ilres has already observed for individual concerns: Compared to men, women are “very clearly” more worried and also more severely affected.
There are a total of four scenarios that people are worried about. In addition to the fear of a European economic and financial crisis, which comes first, there is great concern (68%) that the crisis in Ukraine could trigger a third world war.
“I think that we have probably not seen numbers this high since the Cold War,” Klein states. 65% of respondents are afraid that Russia could attack a NATO member state, compared to 58% who think that Luxembourg or a NATO member state in general could directly intervene in the war in Ukraine. 41% of participants even think that all four scenarios could come true, further contributing to the anxiety that is already present in the population, Klein explains.
Respondents mostly agree on the short-term impact of the war and expect further price increases for gas, petrol, and food products. On the other hand, participants are less sure regarding potential shortages of these products.
Why? Klein states that he can only speculate but thinks that the idea is probably simply “too far away” for most people. He also thinks that the majority of the Luxembourgish population has probably never experienced shortages of these types of products, which may contribute to the fact that they cannot imagine such a scenario, even if they expect price increases. Klein acknowledges that ‘shortage’ is “a harsh term”. While people may be able to imagine that will be less of something, Klein thinks that many struggle with the idea that they could actually run out of these products.
Opinions are more divided regarding the question of whether the sanctions imposed on Russia are adequate. Only 47% of participants think that they are just right. 9% think they are too harsh, compared to 32% who think they are not strict enough. However, there is a greater consensus regarding certain other proposals.
The first observation is that there is an overwhelming support for NATO, Klein explains. 86% of those surveyed think that Luxembourg should remain a member of NATO, while only 6% are against this idea. A large majority is also in favour of freezing the bank accounts of Russian companies and think that Luxembourgish representatives should resign from the boards of Russian companies. At the same time, an overwhelming majority is against a direct intervention of NATO in Ukraine.
Most participants also praise both the European Union and the Luxembourgish government for their handling of the crisis. 69% of those surveyed think that the EU is doing a good or very good job, while 63% think that the Luxembourgish government is doing a good or very good job.
Any war in the 21st century will per definition also be one of information and the definition of truth. The Russian arguments in justifying their invasion are only accepted by some 10% of Luxembourg residents, some of whom think Putin was provoked into the attack. At 86%, however, a majority do not think the Kremlin’s arguments justify the invasion.
For this survey, a representative sample of around 500 Luxembourg residents were interviewed by telephone or online.
For this survey about the conflict in Ukraine, 503 people were interviewed by telephone or online between 8 and 11 March 2022.
Further details are available on Alia.lu
