Some 57% of Americans back Israel’s preemptive strikes against Iranian nuclear sites, more than 80% say that Iran must be stopped from having nuclear weapons and that a nuclear-armed Iran poses a serious threat to American security.
That’s according to a survey of 800 U.S. adults conducted by Schoen Cooperman Research between June 13 and 16 for the Israel on Campus Coalition.
The poll, which was released on Wednesday, also found that 62% of Americans believe the United States should back Israel’s efforts to dismantle Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
More than half (51%) of Americans see Israel’s actions as self-defense, and just 28% see them as aggression, per the poll, which found that 70% of Americans say that they are following the news in Israel and Iran closely.
Doug Schoen, founder of Schoen Cooperman and former pollster to former President Bill Clinton and former New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg, told JNS that the survey results suggest that Americans think Israeli and American security are intertwined.
“Our survey of the American public finds clear and decisive majority support for Israel’s campaign against Iran’s nuclear program,” he told JNS. “Indeed, there is a near-universal belief, held by over 80% of U.S. adults, that it is important to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, and moreover, that a failure to do so would pose a serious threat to America’s national security.”
Jacob Baime, CEO of Israel on Campus Coalition, said the survey demonstrates that Americans believe Israel has a right to protect itself from Iran.
“ ‘Operation Rising Lion’ is a precise and necessary response to a regime that threatens Israel’s existence and global stability,” he said. “Americans recognize that Israel’s actions safeguard not only its own security but also U.S. interests.”
