A Pew Research Center survey found U.S. views of Israelis have become more negative since 2022, while younger adults now view Palestinians more favorably than Israelis by 58% to 32%.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
American public opinion toward Israelis has declined sharply in recent years, narrowing a gap that once showed far more favorable views of Israelis than Palestinians, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.
The survey of 12,574 U.S. adults was conducted May 4-17, about two months after the U.S.- and Israeli-led war against Iran began and before Hamas announced it was dissolving its government in Gaza.
Pew found that Americans’ views of Palestinians and Palestinian leadership have stayed relatively stable, while views of both the Israeli people and Israeli government have grown more negative. As recently as 2022, Americans viewed Israelis much more favorably than Palestinians. Today, the two populations are viewed nearly equally.
The shift followed Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack and the subsequent wars in Gaza and Iran, according to Pew.
The survey found that Americans continue to distinguish between people and governments. Majorities hold unfavorable views of the Israeli government, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, but unfavorable views of Israel’s government have risen more sharply than views of the Palestinian Authority or Hamas.
The decline in favorable views of Israelis has occurred across political parties, age groups and most religious affiliations, though the size of the shift differs by group.
Republicans and Republican-leaning independents remain more favorable toward both the Israeli people and the Israeli government than Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents. Democrats, by contrast, are more favorable toward the Palestinian people and the Palestinian Authority than Republicans are. Favorable views of Hamas remain low in both parties.
Support for Israelis has fallen among both Republicans and Democrats since 2022, but the decline has been larger among Democrats, widening the partisan difference.
The age divide is among the clearest findings in the survey. Adults under 30 view Palestinians more favorably than Israelis, 58% to 32%. Young Democrats are a major factor in that gap, with 72% expressing favorable views of Palestinians and 26% expressing favorable views of Israelis.
Young Republicans now view Israelis and Palestinians at roughly equal levels. That marks a change from several years earlier, when young Republicans viewed Israelis much more favorably.
Americans ages 50 and older remain more favorable toward Israelis than Palestinians, especially older Republicans. Older Democrats also view Palestinians more favorably than Israelis, but the difference is smaller than it is among younger Democrats.
The survey also found especially negative views of Israel’s government among younger Democrats. Among Democrats under 30, respondents were slightly more likely to view Hamas favorably than Israel’s government, though favorable views of Hamas remained relatively low overall. Democrats across age groups viewed the Palestinian Authority somewhat more favorably than Israel’s government.
Religious affiliation remains another major factor in attitudes toward Israel and Palestinians. Jewish Americans and White evangelical Protestants reported the most favorable views of both the Israeli people and the Israeli government.
White evangelical Protestants were the only major religious group in which a majority, 57%, viewed the Israeli government favorably.
Among Jewish Americans, favorable views of Israelis fell from 89% in 2024 to 83% this year. Favorable views of the Israeli government declined from 54% to 47%.
Muslims, Black Protestants and religiously unaffiliated Americans were more likely than other religious groups to express favorable views of Palestinians and the Palestinian Authority, according to Pew.
Younger Jewish adults were also less likely than older Jewish adults to hold favorable views of Israelis and Israel’s government.
The findings show a marked change in U.S. attitudes since 2022, with declining favorability toward Israelis and Israel’s government reshaping how Americans view the two sides. The shift is strongest among younger adults and Democrats, while older Americans, Republicans, Jewish Americans and White evangelical Protestants remain comparatively more favorable toward Israelis.
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