(RNS) — A pair of new surveys indicate Americans are souring on Israel in the wake of the war in Gaza, with opinions on the nation, its government and even the Israeli people all declining while views of Palestinians have remained largely unchanged.
Two separate polls released this week revealed the shift, the most recent of which Pew Research unveiled on Thursday (July 9). The survey, conducted in early May, found that most U.S. adults — 62% — now view the Israeli government unfavorably, a nearly 20-point shift from 2022, when only 43% said the same.
What’s more, positive views of the Israeli people dropped significantly, with 52% of U.S. adults viewing them favorably — a 15-point decline from 2022. That places Israelis roughly on par with U.S. views of the Palestinian people, which hover around 50% favorability, down only three points from 2022.
The Pew poll showed clear partisan divisions — Democrats were more likely to view Israelis and the Israeli government negatively than Republicans — but there were also splits among religious groups. Jewish adults were the most likely to have a positive view of the Israeli people (83%), followed by white evangelical Protestants (74%). But white evangelicals were the most likely to view the Israeli government favorably (57%); less than half (47%) of adult Jewish Americans held a positive view.
Meanwhile, minorities of Catholics (34%), white non-evangelicals (33%), Black Protestants (30%), religiously unaffiliated Americans (17%), and Muslims (12%) held positive views of the Israeli government. When it comes to the Israeli people, small majorities of white non-evangelical Protestants (55%) and Catholics (51%) voiced a favorable view, whereas …