Again, there is no reason to believe that the so-called "referendum" is at all representative of the will of the Crimean people, except that Russia says it is. It is simply not a credible source with which to measure popular opinion.
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May 2013 poll conducted by the International Republican Institute found a healthy majority (53%) of Crimeans supported maintaining their status as an autonomous province within Ukraine, while just 23% supported independence. Past polling has been all over the place, but it's hard to conclude that Crimeans are united in support for unification with Russia. At best, the question is highly controversial, and I highly doubt that the 2014 "referendum" would even have occurred had it not been for the Russian occupation of the peninsula.
It is undeniable, however, that Crimea has seen a dramatic reduction in the standard of living since annexation, and it is difficult to see how their rights could be better protected by the Russian Federation - a country ruled by a strongman with no respect for the freedom of speech, one who has had his political opponents assassinated, whose actions in Eastern Europe pose a serious threat to international stability, and who uses aggression and war to distract from his crumbing economy - than by Ukraine.
