Poll: Most Americans support Israel despite difficult Biden-Netanyahu relations

Most respondents see Netanyahu in a negative light

How do the American people view Israel today, after more than two years under the U.S. Biden administration, widely seen as more critical or even anti-Israel than the preceding Trump administration?

In 2022, 55% of Americans stated they had a favorable view of Israel, according to a new poll published by Pew Research Center on Aug. 21.

The report was compiled before the passing of the only bill of the Israeli government’s judicial reform and is based on surveys from the spring of 2022 and 2023.

Among a group of Americans over the age of 50, a large majority – more than 60% – view Israel favorably. However, in the age group 30 to 49, only 49% said they support Israel. Under the age of 30, the number sinks to 41%.

Political affiliation corresponded strongly to the respondent's view of Israel. Among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, a whopping 71% view Israel favorably, while Democrats and Democratic leaners, only 44% were favorable.

A large majority of Americans still see the U.S.-Israel relationship as strong, despite recent speculation about a growing rift between the two nations following U.S. condemnation of the judicial reform in Israel.

Some 76% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, and 74% of Democrats and Democratic leaners characterized the relations as good.

Religious affiliation also played a role in people's opinions about Israel.

Generally speaking, most religious people support Israel. White Evangelicals (80%), White non-Evangelical protestants (61%) and Catholics (58%) overwhelmingly view Israel favorably.

Black Protestants (43%) and religiously unaffiliated Americans (42%) showed a lower rate of support for the Jewish state.

The poll did not include the views of Jews and Muslims on the issue.

Interestingly, more Americans view the people of Israel more favorably (67%) than they do the Israeli government (48%). This may be due to current opinions about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Of the 74% of American respondents who had heard of Netanyahu, 42% stated they had no confidence that he would do the right thing regarding world affairs.

Significant disagreement exists on the question of whether U.S. President Joe Biden's approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is too strict or lenient for one side or the other.

A majority of respondents (62%) were unsure who Biden favors but 13% feel he favors Palestinians over Israel. Only 16% felt he was striking the right balance on this issue.