New poll of US voters finds overwhelming support for Israel over Hamas in Gaza war
67% of survey respondents say there should only be a ceasefire if all hostages are freed and the Gaza-ruling terror group is removed from power — Israel’s key aims in the war
A new Harvard CAPS-Harris poll published this week of over 2,300 registered US voters found overwhelming support for Israel over Hamas in the ongoing war, triggered by the terror group’s October 7 murderous rampage.
In the poll, 83 percent of respondents said October 7 was a terror attack, while 17% said it was not. Broken down by age group, 94% of respondents aged over 65 said the attack — in which some 1,200 people were killed and 253 were taken hostage — was terrorism, while 74% of those aged 18-24 said the same.
In addition, 74% of respondents said Hamas’s attack was genocidal and 75% of all respondents said the assault could not be justified by Palestinian grievances. These answers varied widely by age group, with younger Americans less favorable to Israel. Some 54% of respondents aged 18-24 said the attacks were not justified, compared to 78% among participants aged 45-54, 87% of those aged 54-65, and 92% of those aged over 65.
Eighty percent of all respondents also said they support Israel more over Hamas, including 57% among those aged 18-24, about 70% for those aged 25-44, 80% of 45-54 year olds, 90% of those 54-65, and 93% of those over 65.
Most respondents, 69%, said Israel was trying to avoid civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip, and 66% said Israel was just trying to defend itself. Some 34% said they believe Israel was “committing genocide” in Gaza and not acting in self-defense, a figure that jumped to 57% between those aged 18-24 and 50% among the 25-34 years-old bracket.
Some 74% of total respondents also said Hamas would like to commit genocide against Jews in Israel.
Overall, 67% of respondents said a ceasefire should only happen if the hostages are released and Hamas is removed from power in Gaza — Israel’s key aims in the war.
The survey asked if respondents had a favorable or negative view of Israel, with 52% saying the former and 28% the latter, versus 12% and 67% respectively for Hamas. Poll participants did not give high marks to the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority, which the Biden administration and much of the international community is pushing to govern Gaza after the war, with 17% approving and 50% disapproving.
A plurality of respondents — 39% — said post-war Gaza should be administered by a new entity set up through negotiations with Arab states, followed by 31% who said the Palestinian Authority and 30% who said Israel.
The poll also asked if they approved of US President Joe Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict, with 39% giving him favorable remarks, down six percent from late November.
The poll was conducted among 2,346 registered US voters on January 17 and 18. The margin of error was not immediately available.
Other recent surveys have similarly recorded far-reaching support for Israel among Americans, including a poll released earlier this month that found a record number of Americans do not believe Israel is getting sufficient US backing.
