The population of Portugal is becoming increasingly worried about the timeframe of the war in Ukraine. A study by Aximage in Portugal found that 39% of respondents believe the war in Ukraine will last over a year, according to the DN. In March, the number was just 16%. 82% of Portuguese people also feel that the war has impacted their personal life, a 23% increase since March.
The percentage of people that believe the war will last between six months to one year has doubled from 13% in March to 26% in May. Only 18% think the war will last less than six months, a percentage that was at 30% in March.
The study found that women (87%) feel the impact of the war more than men (77%), as well as people over 50 years old (by 93% for those between 50 and 64 and 76% for those over 65).
A loss of purchasing power was the main effect felt by 75% of those that feel impacted by the war in Portugal. In the study, many said they stopped buying certain products or started using public transportation, both activities that were reduced by 1% in the space of a month.
Over half of the respondents (55%) believe that the European Union’s (EU) help to the Ukrainian people is “enough”, particularly women. In March, 51% said the EU’s support was enough and 49% did not. Trust in NATO decreased by 14% to 49% between March and May.
The study also considered the sanctions against Russia to support Ukraine. Of the 45% of respondents that do not believe the EU’s support is enough, 54% support more severe sanctions against Russia. Moreover, the percentage of Portuguese that agree with the suspension of purchasing coal, oil, or gas from Russia decreased by 4% to 34%.
Most Portuguese people (62%) seem to look daily for information on the Ukraine war, particularly those over 65 years old (79%) and between the ages of 50 to 64 (69%). 93% of respondents get their news on the war through television, particularly women (94%) and those over 50 (95%). However, over half of those between the age of 18 and 34 prefer to obtain their information on social media.
The study was conducted through 805 interviews between May 19 and 24.