Nearly half of Americans sympathize more with Israelis in war with Hamas: poll

Julia Mueller
·2 min read

Nearly half of Americans in a new poll say they sympathize more with Israelis than with Palestinians amid Israel’s war with Hamas.

A NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ poll released Monday found 49 percent of respondents said their sympathies lie more with Israelis, while 10 percent said their sympathies lie more with Palestinians.

Another 26 percent said they sympathized “about equal” between both Israelis and Palestinians, and 15 percent said they weren’t sure.

Fighting has been ongoing between Israel and Hamas — the militant group that controls the Gaza strip — after Hamas launched a brutal attack against Israel earlier this month. Israeli forces kicked off a counteroffensive against Gaza, and the conflict has resulted in a mounting death toll of thousands of Israelis and Palestinians.

Most in the poll held Hamas “most responsible” for the current violence: 42 blamed Hamas, 13 percent blamed Iran and 9 percent blamed the Israeli government. Smaller figures placed blame on other groups, and another 22 percent said they’re not sure.

Younger voters — aged 18-34 — were more likely than older voters to say they sympathize more with Palestinians.

While 24 percent of that age group said they sympathize more with Palestinians, just 10 percent of voters aged 35-55 and 3 percent of voters over 55 said the same.

Younger Americans have appeared more sympathetic to Palestinians as the Biden administration has pledged unwavering support for Israel.

Fifty-two percent approve of President Biden’s handling of the conflict, while 48 percent disapprove. He’s emerged as a key figure on the world stage amid the conflict, though he’s faced criticism from some progressives calling for a ceasefire.

Despite approval of Biden’s handling of the conflict, more than three-quarters of respondents in the new poll said they’re somewhat or very concerned about the Israel-Hamas war leading to terrorist attacks in the U.S., with concern coming from both sides of the aisle.

The NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ poll surveyed 1,000 registered voters between Oct. 23-24, and its margin of error was roughly 3 percentage points. NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns The Hill.

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