If the decision of people to keep throwing themselves into the meat grinder for the sake of their political and economic rulers were really so “democratic” and freely made, there’d be no reason for Ukraine to do massive conscription, keep military-aged men from leaving the country, and try to get Europe to deport men of Ukrainian citizenship back to Ukraine.

Ask yourself what the actual questions posed were and who they were asked of. I wonder what you’d think of it if I “volunteered” you to go die in a futile charge against Russian artillery. I suspect you’d change your mind a bit about a prospective ceasefire with handcuffs on, guns to your back, and moments away from reaching the front lines. Meanwhile, if I consider your life a small price to pay, I might very well sit pretty and keep approving of the slaughter. Should we really each have an equal say over your fate?

IMO it is kind of significant than the West-friendly press is losing ground in terms of being able to find people who they are able to say are “favorable to the war”, despite their best efforts to manufacture consent. But it’s still not all that believable and legitimate as an overall picture of the war, its consequences, and the working-class attitudes toward it.