A comprehensive AP-NORC poll examining the attitudes of American Jews toward Israel and the ongoing Gaza conflict has uncovered substantial differences in perspective between religiously affiliated and secular Jewish adults. The survey of 1,022 Jewish adults found that approximately 70 percent identify as Jewish through religious affiliation, while roughly 30 percent identify as Jewish through cultural, ethnic, or family connections despite not holding religious beliefs.
Among religiously affiliated Jews, opinions on Israel’s military operations in Gaza remain divided but generally more supportive than among secular counterparts. Approximately half of religiously affiliated Jewish adults believe Israel’s current military actions are justified, while about one-quarter hold the view that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians. In contrast, only about 20 percent of religiously unaffiliated Jews regard the military operations as justified, and roughly 40 percent believe genocide has occurred. Additionally, 74 percent of secular Jews report feeling little to no emotional attachment to Israel.
Frequency of religious service attendance correlates with views on Israel, with those who regularly participate in religious services demonstrating stronger connections to Israel and greater support for its military actions. The survey also identified generational patterns, showing younger Jewish adults across all affiliations are less inclined to view Israel as central to their Jewish identity, though majorities of both younger and older adults consider Holocaust remembrance important to their identity.
The divisions extend beyond abstract political positions into personal relationships and community dynamics. Fifty-five percent of Jewish adults reported feeling offended by comments about Israel since October 7, 2023, while approximately 40 percent have experienced disagreements with family members on the subject. About 30 percent indicated they have ceased communication with someone due to statements about Israel. Politically, the survey found that Jewish adults predominantly identify as Democrats, with religiously unaffiliated Jews slightly more likely to hold Democratic affiliation than the overall Jewish population.
The AP-NORC poll was conducted June 11-17 among 3,040 adults using a probability-based sampling method, with a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 5.0 percentage points for the Jewish adult subsample.