Views of Israel Reach New Low in the U.S. With Sharp Shift Among Younger Voters - NEW POLL

A new Pew Research Center survey shows a striking shift in American public opinion toward Israel, with 60% of U.S. adults now expressing an unfavorable view of the country, up from 53% last year and 42% in 2022. The numbers suggest that negative sentiment is no longer limited to one political bloc or one age group, though the sharpest deterioration continues to come from younger Americans and Democrats.

The April 7 Pew analysis, based on interviews with 3,507 U.S. adults conducted March 23 to 29, found that views of Israel and of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have both grown more negative. Around 59% of Americans now say they have little or no confidence in Netanyahu to do the right thing regarding world affairs, up from 52% last year and nearly 20 points higher than in 2023.

The most revealing split may be generational. In both major parties, adults under 50 are more likely than their older counterparts to view Israel negatively. Among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, 84% of those under 50 now hold an unfavorable view of Israel. Among Republicans and Republican leaners under 50, that number is 57%, meaning even in a party where overall views remain more favorable than unfavorable, younger voters have moved sharply away from Israel.

That last point is especially important because Republicans as a whole still remain more pro-Israel than Democrats. Pew found that 58% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents hold a favorable view of Israel, compared with 41% who view it unfavorably. But that broader partisan advantage masks a clear age-based split. Republicans 50 and older continue to view Israel positively by large margins, while younger Republicans have become notably more critical.

Among Democrats, the trend is even more dramatic. Pew found that 80% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents now have an unfavorable view of Israel, up from 69% last year and 53% in 2022. The share expressing a very unfavorable view has also climbed, particularly among younger Democrats, underscoring how quickly the party's base has shifted on the issue in just four years.

The findings arrive at a politically sensitive moment, with the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran in peril due to Israel's attacks against Lebanon, and the Israel-Hamas war still shaping U.S. debate. Pew said the survey was fielded about a month into the U.S.- and Israeli-led war in Iran, adding another layer of conflict to an electorate already fatigued by the Gaza war and polarized over Washington's approach to Israel.

The survey also found growing skepticism toward Netanyahu personally. Around six in 10 Americans now say they have little or no confidence in him, and among Democrats that figure rises to 76%. Republicans are more divided: 45% say they have a lot or some confidence in Netanyahu, while 44% say they have little or no confidence. Again, age is a major dividing line. Republicans 50 and older are about twice as likely as those under 50 to express confidence in Netanyahu.

Pew's data suggest the shift is not only partisan but also cultural and generational. Among major religious groups, Jewish Americans and White evangelical Protestants remain the most favorable toward Israel, with 64% and 65% expressing positive views, respectively. But support is far weaker among Catholics, Black Protestants, White non-evangelical Protestants, the religiously unaffiliated, and especially Muslim Americans, among whom only 4% view Israel positively.

At the same time, the issue still matters to many Americans. Pew found that 53% say the conflict between Israel and Hamas is very or somewhat important to them personally. That figure is unchanged from last year, though Americans were even more likely to say the U.S. military campaign against Iran mattered to them personally.

The political implications could be significant. For years, support for Israel was one of the rare issues that maintained relatively stable bipartisan backing in Washington, even as public opinion evolved more slowly. Pew's latest numbers suggest that era may be fading. If younger Democrats and younger Republicans are both moving in a more negative direction, the long-term U.S. consensus around Israel could face sustained pressure, regardless of who controls the White House or Congress.

Pew emphasized that it is a nonpartisan, nonadvocacy research center, and that its new findings do not take a policy position. But the trend line is hard to ignore: from 42% unfavorable in 2022 to 53% in 2025 and now 60% in 2026, public opinion has moved quickly, and in a direction that would have been difficult to imagine just a few years ago.