Over the past year, attitudes among Americans towards both Israel and the Palestinian Authority have soured amidst heightened tensions between the two parties since last autumn, according to a March 4 Gallup poll (Americans’ Views of Both Israel, Palestinian Authority Down).
A mere 58% of Americans now hold a “very” or “mostly favorable” view of Israel, down from 68% the previous year, marking the lowest favorability rating for Israel in over twenty years. Similarly, positive perceptions of the Palestinian Authority have dwindled from 26% to 18%, reaching their lowest point since 2015.
Hundreds of Utahns rallied in support of Palestine on Saturday, stopping traffic as they stood on an I-80 overpass in Salt Lake City.
MORE: https://t.co/ixk1hdUMF9 pic.twitter.com/ABR0J3gxNp
— KUTV2news (@KUTV2News) March 3, 2024
Throughout recent history, Americans have consistently held a more favorable view towards their ally Israel compared to the “Palestinians.” Since Gallup began gauging opinions of Israel in 1989, an average of 65% of Americans have expressed favorable opinions towards it. The lowest rating for Israel during this period was recorded at 45% in 1989, coinciding with another period of heightened tensions in the region.
In contrast, the Palestinian Authority has received less positive reception from Americans, with an average of 19% holding favorable views since Gallup’s initial measurement in 2000. The highest rating was noted at 30% in 2021. Opinions remained above historical averages from 2017 until the present year.
Why can’t dumbed down westerns be like many good Israelis and Jewish and stand against the evil regime that controls Israel and against mass genocide ?
They don’t support mass murder so why should you ?
Mass protests in Israel against their Prime Minister and their governments… https://t.co/gbmgnA37ud pic.twitter.com/9WlE5zF2Li
— jamiemcintyre (@jamiemcintyre21) March 2, 2024
The decline in ratings of Israel is most pronounced among young adults, plummeting from 64% favorability among 18- to 34-year-olds in 2023 to 38%. Middle-aged adults (aged 35 to 54) also show a notable decrease, dropping from 66% to 55%, while there has been negligible change among adults aged 55 and older.
Consequently, the slight age disparities in ratings of Israel observed a year ago, where young adults and older adults’ views were 10 percentage points apart, have widened. Older Americans are now nearly twice as likely as younger Americans to view Israel positively, with rates of 71% and 38% respectively.
Ratings of the Palestinian Authority have remained relatively stable among younger and older adults over the past year, albeit starting from a less positive standpoint. However, there has been a significant decline in favorability among 35- to 54-year-olds, dropping from 30% to 15%. Middle-aged adults’ opinions are now closer to those of older Americans (11%) than younger Americans (32%).
The predominant political leanings regarding sympathies in the Middle East remain consistent this year. Republicans overwhelmingly express sympathy towards Israel over the “Palestinians,” independents generally favor Israel, and a larger portion of Democrats align with the “Palestinians” rather than the Israelis. Interestingly, despite this, Democrats tend to rate Israel much more favorably than they do the Palestinian Authority.
In terms of age groups, young adults show a slight inclination towards sympathy for the “Palestinians” over Israelis this year, a departure from being evenly divided last year. Meanwhile, other age demographics predominantly express sympathy towards Israel.
While Americans express greater sympathy towards the Israelis than they do the “Palestinians,” they are nearly evenly split when considering whether the US should apply more pressure on the “Palestinians” (39%) or the Israelis (36%) to address the conflict. 8% suggest applying pressure on both sides, 7% advocate for applying pressure on neither, and 9% have no opinion.
Historically, when Gallup posed this question, the margin in favor of pressuring the “Palestinians” has been wider.
