Poll: 68 Percent of Voters Stand with Israelis, Numbers Tighten in Younger Demographics

Almost 70 percent of registered voters side with Israelis over Palestinians, although support for Palestine increases among younger generations, according to a portion of a Fox News poll conducted during and after Hamas’s terrorist attacks on Israel last weekend. 

The poll, published Wednesday, asked voters, “In the Middle East conflict, do you side more with the Israelis or more with the Palestinians?”

The results show that 68 percent of Americans support Israelis versus just 18 percent who support Palestinians. Majorities in both major political parties back Israel, but support among Republicans is more potent than Democrats. 

Per the poll, jointly conducted by Beacon Research and Shaw & Company Research, 59 percent of Democrats support Israel, as do 79 percent of Republicans. Conversely, one in four Democrats back Palestine, while just over one in ten Republicans side with Palestine. 

Support for Israel has jumped nine percentage points since a May 2021 Fox News poll. Back then, 59 percent of Americans sided with Israelis versus 24 percent who backed Palestinians. This marks a fifteen-point swing in public opinion in two-and-a-half years.

“The main reason for the overall increase in support for Israel is Democrats have dramatically changed their position,”  Republican pollster Daron Shaw told Fox News. “They’ve moved from +7 Israel to +34, which undoubtedly reflects revulsion over the nature of the attacks.”

A trend evident among age demographics in the current poll shows younger Americans are more inclined to support Palestine than their older counterparts. For instance, among survey respondents under 35, 49 percent back Israel, whereas 34 percent moreso side with Palestine. 

A majority of 55 percent of those 44 and younger side with Israelis. Less than one in three respondents in the demographic says they back Palestinians. 

Among those 45 and older, support for Israel grows dramatically to 76 percent, while support for Palestine shrinks to 9 percent.

The sample included 1,007 registered voters who were surveyed between October 7-9. The margin of error registers at plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. 

As of Thursday, the death toll in Israel surpassed 1,300 people, while more than 3,000 are wounded, and reports indicate 150 people have been abducted by Hamas, Breitbart News noted.