A recent poll highlights a dramatic shift in American perspectives on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, revealing that nearly half of Muslim Americans hold favorable opinions of Hamas, the Palestinian militant group. In contrast, favorable views of Israelis have declined sharply across the U.S. population, including within both major political parties.
The survey shows that 44% of Muslim American respondents view Hamas positively, a figure substantially higher than among other religious groups. In comparison, favorable opinions of Hamas are reported at 17% among Black Protestants, 8% among Catholics, and only 4% among white evangelical Protestants. Meanwhile, just 26% of Muslim Americans express a favorable view of the Israeli people, starkly lower than the 74% of white evangelical Protestants, 55% of Black Protestants, and 51% of Catholics who do.
Age plays a critical role in these attitudes, with younger Americans under 30 across all religious and political affiliations displaying more empathy toward Palestinians and Hamas than toward Israelis. More than half of young adults (58%) have positive views of Palestinian people, compared to only 32% who feel similarly about Israelis. Among young Democrats, this divide widens considerably: 72% favor Palestinians, while only 26% hold favorable views of Israelis. Young Republicans show a narrower gap, with 42% viewing Israelis positively and 40% supporting Palestinians.
Support for Hamas also appears among younger demographics, with 13% of adults under 30 expressing favorable opinions of the group. This includes 16% of young Democrats and 11% of young Republicans. These numbers emerge after a notable decline in American support for Israel following the violent Hamas attacks of October 7, which killed around 1,200 Israelis.
The poll reveals that both Democrats and Republicans have become less favorable toward the Israeli government since 2022. Among Republicans, favorable views of Israelis dropped from 77% to 65%, while among Democrats, the decline was sharper—from 62% to 43%. Support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government also fell, from 65% to 51% among Republicans and more dramatically—from 35% to 16%—among Democrats.
Religious affiliations strongly influence these attitudes. Jewish Americans and white evangelical Protestants maintain the most positive views of Israel and its leadership. Notably, white evangelical Protestants are the only major religious group with predominantly favorable opinions of Netanyahu’s administration, with 57% approval compared to 47% among Jewish respondents. Age further differentiates perspectives within these groups, as Jewish adults under 50 tend to be less supportive of Israel than older Jewish adults.
This survey underscores a significant evolution in U.S. public opinion surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, highlighting increasing polarization along generational and political lines, and presenting challenges for future discourse on foreign policy and domestic community relations.