American goodwill toward Israel following the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, has eroded with a new poll showing a plurality of U.S. voters now view the Jewish state negatively.
An NBC News survey released on Monday found 39% of registered voters hold an unfavorable opinion of Israel, compared with 32% who view it positively. In November 2023, shortly after the Hamas assault, 47% expressed positive views and 24% negative ones.
“Israel may have had major military success in its war against Hamas, but its actions have badly damaged its standing among the American people,” stated Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt of Hart Research Associates, which conducted the survey jointly with Republican pollster Bill McInturff of Public Opinion Strategies.
The shift has been driven largely by Democrats, independents and younger voters. Among Democrats, positive views of Israel fell from a 47%–24% advantage in 2023 to a 37%–32% negative split in the latest poll. Likewise, independent voters, who backed Israel by 40%–22% in 2023, now view the Jewish state negatively, 48%–21%.
Republican support declined more modestly, from a 63%–12% favorable margin in 2023 to 54%–18% in 2026.
Generational divides were pronounced. Just 20% of voters ages 18 to 34 now view Israel positively, down from 26% in 2023, while negative views surged to 63% from 37%. Voters ages 35 to 49 also turned net-negative for the first time, at 43% unfavorable to 20% favorable, compared with a narrow 34%–33% pro-Israel tilt three years ago.
Among voters ages 50 to 64, negative views roughly doubled, though the group still leaned positive overall at 37% favorable to 30% unfavorable, compared with 59%–15% in 2023. Seniors 65 and older likewise remained broadly supportive but less so than before, shifting from 64%–12% positive views in 2023 to 55%–21% today.
For the first time in the poll’s long-term trend, sympathies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict were nearly evenly split, with 40% saying they side more with the Palestinians and 39% with Israelis. In 2013, voters favored Israelis by 45%–13%. This broader shift mirrors other recent surveys showing growing sympathy for Palestinians, particularly among Democrats and younger Americans.
The poll surveyed 1,000 registered voters from Feb. 27 to March 3 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
