Poll: 53% of Americans now have unfavorable view of Israel, 32% confident in Netanyahu

A majority of Americans — 53 percent — now hold an unfavorable view of Israel, according to a new Pew survey released Tuesday, which also showed just under a third of Americans have confidence in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The question on Israel’s favorability was last included in a Pew survey in March 2022, when 42% expressed a negative view toward the Jewish state.

On a partisan basis, 69% of Democrats view Israel unfavorably compared to 37% of Republicans, with those figures at 53% and 27% respectively in the last survey.

“Younger and older Democrats alike have turned more negative toward Israel over this three-year period, 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%).”

Asked about their opinion of Netanyahu, 52% of respondents express little or no confidence in him to “do the right thing regarding world affairs,” compared to 32% who do have such confidence in him. Pew notes this figure is similar to last year but reports that “the share of Americans with little or no confidence in Netanyahu rose significantly between 2023 and 2024.”

The poll also shows a drop in interest in the Israel-Hamas war as further time passes since the terror group’s October 7, 2023, onslaught, with 54% saying the conflict is very or somewhat important to them personally, down from 65% last January.