The average U.S. view of Israel and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has soured significantly since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks and Israel’s subsequent war in Gaza. In 2022, 55% of respondents held a favorable view of Israel, according to a recent Pew Research study. This year, Israel’s favorability among U.S. adults dropped to 37%. Over the same time period, the rate of respondents who have no confidence in Netanyahu to do the right thing in world affairs rose from 42% to 59%.
As in most political issues, there is a large partisan divide in views regarding Israel. Among Republicans and Republican-leaning voters, 41% have an unfavorable opinion of Israel. Four fifths (80%) of Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters say they view Israel unfavorably.
However, the widest contrast isn’t partisan, but generational. Among survey participants aged 18-49, 70% have an unfavorable opinion of Israel, including 57% of Republicans/Republican-leaning voters and 84% of Democrats/Democratic-leaning voters. Only about half (49%) of those aged 50 and over have an unfavorable opinion of Israel, including 24% of Republicans/Republican-leaning voters and 76% of Democrats/Democratic-leaning voters.
Over half (53%) of all respondents said the conflict between Israel and Hamas is important to them personally. This remains consistent across partisan divides, with 55% of Republicans and 54% of Democrats saying it is important.
More information on the Pew study, including links to the survey’s methodology and topline results, can be found here.
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