It's been almost a week since Hamas attacked Israel, resulting in the bloodiest day in Israel's history in which the most Jews died since the end of the Holocaust. As of Thursday night, at least 1,200 people have died, according to Israeli authorities. Hamas didn't just kill people, including women, the elderly, and children--even babies. They also took people captive as well as raped and tortured women, and then desecrated their bodies. Reports came out earlier this week about the unthinkable, Hamas butchering babies at a kibbutz, beheading and burning some of them even. The official X account for Israel released the images on Thursday. It's in this context that a poll has now been conducted showing support for Israel.
Although the results of a poll from The Economist/YouGov showed sympathies for Israel, and an increased amount of support for Israel from recent months, there are noticeable partisan differences.
A plurality of Americans, at 42 percent say their sympathies are more with Israel, compared to the 22 percent who say they're equally with both Israelis and Palestinians, while just 9 percent say it's with Palestinians. The sympathies for Israel are even stronger among registered voters, at 46 percent.
NEW Economist/YouGov polling
— YouGov America (@YouGovAmerica) October 11, 2023
In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, % of U.S. adult citizens whose sympathies are more with...
The Israelis / the Palestinians / about equal
Oct. 8 - 10, 2023
42% / 9% / 22%
March 11 - 14, 2023
31% / 13% / 27%https://t.co/LXg3avzQ93 pic.twitter.com/wOMCA06BwK
Broken down by demographic, though, the sympathies gets concerningly lacking among certain groups, especially young people as well as those who voted for President Joe Biden in 2020, Demcorats, and liberals.
For instance, a plurality of those 18-29 and those 33-44 say they're "not sure," whom they support more, with those numbers being at 30 and 34 percent, respectively. Close to a majority of those 45-64, at 48 percent, say their sympathies are with Israel. In fact, that youngest crowd is just as likely to say their sympahies are with Israel as it is that their sympathies lie with both about equally, at 25 percent a piece.
Recommended
A majority of those 65 and older, at 62 percent, however, say their sympathies are with Israelis. The only demographics with higher support are on more partisan lines, as 72 percent of those who voted for former President Donald Trump in 2020, 64 percent of Republicans, and 66 percent of conservatives say their sympathies are with Israel.
Democrats, on the other hand, aren't so supportive. A plurality of Biden voters, a 33 percent, say their sympathies lie with both equally. A plurality of Democrats, at 31 percent, say they're not sure. Thirty-one percent of liberals also say their sympathies lie with both equally.
It's not a close second, either, when it comes to whether these demographics also support Israel. Twenty-eight percent of Biden voters say their sympathies are with both, while 26 percent say it's more so with Israel. Those figures are the same with Democrats as well. Twenty-seven percent of liberals say they're not sure where their sympathies lie, while 25 percent say it's with Israel.
These figures among Biden voters, Democrats, and liberals also refutes the White House's insistence that Biden has "shown leadership" in support of Israel in this matter. If he has, he hasn't convinced his fellow Democrats to support Israel as convincingly, at least according to this poll.
In fact, the highest amount of support for Palestinians lies with those demographics. This includes 14 percent of Biden voters, 15 percent of Democrats, and 17 percent of liberals.
Even more concerning, though, is that such demographics are also not as likely to recognize that Hamas is responsible for the terrorist attack over the weekend. That being said, it's worth noting that the poll does not say Hamas, but rather talks about "the Palestinian side." Perhaps respondents are not so well-versed in how the Gaza strip has been controlled by Hamas for years.
A plurality of overall respondents, at 39 percent, say they blame "the Palestinian side" more for "the escalation of violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict." It's higher among voters, at 44 percent.
Majorities of respondents over 65-years-old (60 percent), those making $100k (52 percent), those who voted for Trump in 2020 (69 percent), Republicans (59 percent) and conservatives (60 percent).
A plurality of those 18-29 and 30-44, at 43 percent and 40 percent, respectively, say they're not sure.
And, a plurality of Biden voters, at 30 percent, actually blame both sides equally for the escalation. They're also the most likely to blame Israelis for the escalation in violence, at 18 percent. Trump supporters were the least likely to say so, at 2 percent. A plurality of Democrats, at 34 percent, say they're not sure. Meanwhile, liberals are pretty evenly split between saying both sides are equally responsible (28 percent) and they're not sure (27 percent).
Other, individual questions, however from YouGov, do refer to Hamas, and a majority of Americans, at 53 percent, believe that Hamas is "deliberately striking" the "Israeli civilian areas" they've been targeting. That number is only 38 percent among those 18-44, though, while 34 percent aren't sure.
% who think
— YouGov America (@YouGovAmerica) October 11, 2023
Hamas is deliberately striking Israeli civilian areas / Israel is deliberately striking Palestinian civilian areas
U.S. adults: 53% / 29%
18-44: 38% / 29%
45+: 67% / 28%https://t.co/LXg3avzQ93 pic.twitter.com/yi0W7FABiW
This carries on to how such demographics also don't see it as important to help Israel. A plurality of respondents, at 39 percent, and of voters, at 42 percent, see it as "very important" to help our ally in the Middle East
Majorities of respondents over 65-years-old (55 percent), those who voted for Trump in 2020 (63 percent), Republicans (58 percent), and conservatives (59 percent) say it's very important.
A plurality of younger respondents, however, say they're not sure, which includes 29 percent of those 18-29 and 31 percent of those 30-44. A plurality of Biden voters (31 percent), Democrats (35 percent), and liberals (33 percent), say it is "somewhat important."
And, young people and Democrats are among those most likely to think it's important to support aid to Palestinians. The Biden administration did send funds over to Gaza, despite how they knew it could fund terrorism.
Fourteen percent of respondents 18-29, 11 percent of Biden voters, 14 percent of Democrats, and 13 percent of liberals say it's "very important" to send aid to Palestinians. In contrast, literally 0 percent of Trump supporters say it's very important to do so.
And, despite that supposedly strong support from the White House, respondents don't give Biden high marks for his handling of the situation, nor on foreign policy overall.
A plurality of respondents (39 percent) and voters (34 percent) say they're not sure how he's handled "the Israeli-Palestine conflict." While 42 percent of Biden voters "strongly approve" of (16 percent) or "somewhat approve" of (26 percent) how he's handled the conflict, 39 percent aren't sure. The figures are similar among Democrats, as well, with 46 percent saying they strongly approve of (20 percent) or somewhat approve of (26 percent) his handling of the conflict, though 40 percent aren't sure.
Overall on foreign policy, Biden has a 47 percent disapproval rating, while 38 percent approve. It's 49-42 percent among voters. RealClearPolitics, which includes this poll, shows Biden with a 40.3 percent approval rating on foreign policy, while 56.5 percent disapprove.
Multiple deep dive polls on foreign policy would really help right about now. Biden has botched both Afghanistan and Israel now, both leaving Americans behind that someone else was left to clean up the mess for, in this case Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL).
Last week's Marquette Law School poll, which we covered at the time, look to a head-to-head match up between Biden and former and potentially future President Donald Trump on a whole host of issues, handling of foreign relations among them. Of eight issues that respondents were asked about, Trump led in five of them, and by double digits in four of those issues. He had a lead of 43-38 percent on this issue against Biden.
Trump, however, has made statements referring to Hezbollah as "very smart," which Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has certainly jumped on. Many in the Republican presidential primary field have expressed the strongest sentiments of support in favor of Israel.
Any likely Republican presidential candidate could be viewed as stronger than the current administration on foreign policy, though, including on Israel.
A write-up for this poll from The Economist/YouGov did note how this could be yet another problem issue for Biden, and that it's one where Trump fares better:
Some concern about the region may be due to skepticism about President Joe Biden’s handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: 26% strongly or somewhat approve, but 36% strongly or somewhat disapprove. (His predecessor, Donald Trump, got a higher level of approval in December 2019 for a related question, on how he was "handling Israel.")
The Economist/YouGov poll was conducted October 8-10 woth 1,500 Americans, including 1,319 registered voters. The overall margin of error was plus or minus 3.3 percent for overall respondents and plus or minus 3.1 percent for registered voters.
