The asymmetry of war support: Evidence from private donations to Ukraine

Rimvydas Ragauskas

Conflict Management and Peace Science, 2026, vol. 43, issue 1, 94-106

Abstract: The prevailing rationalist approach portrays war as a gradual process of information disclosure, where cost–benefit calculations can influence strategy, outcomes and internal support for conflict. This research advances our understanding of how battlefield dynamics influence public support for war by analyzing tangible indicators of support—private donations to Ukraine. Analysis reveals a striking asymmetric pattern: heightened Russian attacks reduce donations by up to 18%, while Ukrainian offensive operations show no meaningful effect on donor behavior. Disclosed asymmetry presents an intriguing theoretical puzzle that challenges conventional rationalist approaches.

Keywords: Costs of war; private donations; support for conflict; war in Ukraine (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/07388942251322437 (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:compsc:v:43:y:2026:i:1:p:94-106

DOI: 10.1177/07388942251322437

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Conflict Management and Peace Science from Peace Science Society (International)
Bibliographic data for series maintained by SAGE Publications ().