Media usage and attitudes toward Russia versus the EU: Insights into the collective consciousness of Russian-speaking Belarusians and Ukrainians pre-Russia's invasion of Ukraine

Abstract

Through the theoretical lens of political socialization, our study explores associations between types of media consumption and attitudes toward Russia versus the European Union (EU) amongst Russian-speaking populations in Belarus and Ukraine. We do so through examining responses from surveys and focus groups conducted in both countries a year prior to Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Our findings showed that in the pro-Russia authoritarian country of Belarus, those who used social media as their primary source for information were less supportive of Russia and more supportive of EU in comparison to those who relied on traditional domestic or Russia media. In Ukraine, those who reported relying on social media for information did not show consistent attitudes in regard to Russia and the EU, while those who reported consuming traditional Russia media held pro-Russia attitudes.