The Troubling Pew Poll Which Says a Majority of Americans Have an Unfavorable View of Israel

From the Pew Research Center this past Tuesday:

A slight majority of Americans (53%) now express a somewhat or very unfavorable opinion of Israel. This marks an 11-point increase in unfavorable views since March 2022, when we last asked this question. The share of U.S. adults who voice very unfavorable views of Israel has roughly doubled over this period, from 10% in 2022 to 19% in 2025.

Democrats are much more likely to express unfavorable opinions of Israel than Republicans (69% vs. 37%). In 2022, 53% of Democrats and 27% of Republicans had negative views of Israel.

Younger and older Democrats alike have turned more negative toward Israel over this three-year period, but negative views among younger Democrats have grown by 9 points, compared with a 23-point increase among older Democrats.

Among Republicans, much of the shift in attitudes has come among younger adults. Republicans under 50 are now about as likely to have a negative view of Israel as a positive one (50% vs. 48%). In 2022, they were much more likely to see Israel positively than negatively (63% vs. 35%).

To say this is troubling would be an understatement.

Let's keep in mind that Hamas killed more than 1200 civilians and took hostage 250 civilians on October 7, 2023.

Many of the hostages freed were done so under hostile conditions with many of the hostages looking like Holocaust survivors. As of this writing, there remain 59 hostages most of whom are believed to be dead.

Yet despite these facts, the American public has soured on Israel in great part because of one-sided media coverage. Older Democrats and Younger Republicans alike now view Israel as a pariah nation.

One could argue that the poll is an outlier. But I suspect that it isn't and that things will get worse than it has already. In 2013, Israel had a net favorability rating of 30% (57% to 27%) by essentially a 2-to-1 margin.

What scares me to no end is the questions Pew didn't ask. Pew did not ask respondents their view of Hamas nor did it ask their views of Jews.

With regard to the former, I have no doubt that Hamas' prestige around the world has gone up. Last month, a Harvard/Harris poll found 21% of Americans favored Hamas over Israel. 

With regard to the latter, there is the ADL Global poll on anti-Semitism released this past January which found 9% of Americans held anti-Semitic attitudes (an estimated 23.5 million people). 

Now some will argue that Americans who have an unfavorable view of Israel do not necessarily have an unfavorable view of Jews. Yet it is impossible to separate Israel from its identity as a Jewish state. I suspect that many who have no trouble indicating they have an unfavorable view of Israel are a little more circumspect if asked if they have an unfavorable view of Jews. 

On the other hand, I wonder if the results would have been different if respondents were asked their views of both Israel and the Israeli government. The survey did ask participants about their attitudes towards Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Of those asked, only 32% had a favorable view of Bibi compared to a 52% unfavorable rating. 

Now it is certainly possible to be Jewish and have an unfavorable view of Netanyahu whether living in Israel, the United States, Canada or anywhere else. But the fact the Pew survey did not specifically delineate Israel and the Israeli government or ask about attitudes towards Hamas and Jews. 

This leaves further room for doubt and unease where it concerns about American attitudes towards Israel, Hamas and other terrorist groups which seeks its destruction and towards Jews at large.