A newly released survey shows that Americans from different age groups and political affiliations are viewing Israel less positively now than they did before October 7, 2023. In addition, more than half of those polled expressed distrust in Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s ability to make sound decisions.
According to the Pew Research Center, 53% of respondents now hold an unfavorable opinion of Israel, a noticeable jump from 42% in 2022. Among Republicans, 37% now view Israel negatively, up from 27% two years ago. Among Democrats, that number rose from 53% to 69%.
Younger Americans in both political parties appear especially critical. The data shows that 50% of Republicans under the age of 49 have a negative perception of Israel, as do 71% of Democrats in the same age bracket.
The survey also revealed that most Americans reject the controversial idea of the U.S. seizing control of Gaza for redevelopment — a plan first floated by President Donald Trump back in February.
Pew’s findings show that 62% of Americans are opposed to the proposal, with nearly half — 49% — strongly rejecting it. Only 15% expressed support for the idea. Within Trump’s own party, 44% oppose the proposal, while 27% back it.
Despite the resistance, 46% of those surveyed believe it is either somewhat or very likely that Trump will move forward with the plan if elected again.
These numbers were released Tuesday, just before Trump’s meeting with Netanyahu this week, during which he reiterated his position on the issue.
Trump maintained that the reaction to his proposal has been mostly positive, even though the plan has been widely dismissed by global leaders and international observers.
“Having a peace force like the United States there controlling and owning the Gaza Strip would be a good thing,” Trump said, seemingly contradicting earlier efforts by his team to walk back his remarks about deploying American troops in Gaza.
The survey noted that Democratic attitudes toward Israel have worsened across generations, but especially among older Democrats, whose unfavorable views have risen 23 points. “Younger and older Democrats alike have turned more negative toward Israel over these three years, but negative views among younger Democrats have grown by 9 points, compared with a 23-point increase among older Democrats,” the poll states. “Among Republicans, much of the shift in attitudes has come among younger adults. Republicans under 50 are now about as likely to have a negative view of Israel as a positive one (50% vs. 48%). In 2022, they were much more likely to see Israel positively than negatively (63% vs. 35%).”
Among different religious communities in the U.S., only Jews and Protestants showed majority support for Israel, with 73% of Jews and 57% of Protestants expressing favorable opinions. Notably, 72% of white evangelicals view Israel positively. Catholics were divided, with 53% holding negative views and 45% positive. Among Muslims, 81% said they had an unfavorable view of Israel.
These findings echo trends found in a Gallup poll from February, which also reported a decline in American support for Israel.
When respondents were asked about their view of Netanyahu, 52% said they had little or no trust in him to “do the right thing regarding world affairs,” compared with 32% who said they did have confidence. Pew pointed out that “the share of Americans with little or no confidence in Netanyahu rose significantly between 2023 and 2024.”
The poll also showed a partisan divide on Netanyahu: 51% of Republicans expressed confidence in his leadership, while just 15% of Democrats said the same.
Among American Jews, opinion was split: 53% said they lack confidence in Netanyahu, while 45% said they trust him. White evangelical Protestants were the only religious group in the U.S. where a majority expressed faith in Netanyahu.
Interest in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has declined slightly since the October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks. Currently, 54% of Americans say the war remains personally significant to them, down from 65% in January.
Among Jews, the war continues to resonate strongly. A full 93% say the conflict is important to them, with 74% describing it as “very important.”
The poll was conducted between March 24 and March 30, surveying a representative sample of 3,605 adults across the United States.
{Matzav.com}