The Associated Press conducted a survey of 1,022 Jewish adults in the United States to examine their perspectives on Israel’s military operations in Gaza, their evaluations of political parties and leaders, and their experiences with prejudice. The survey included both religiously affiliated Jewish adults and those who identify as Jewish through cultural, ethnic, or family background but hold no religious affiliation.
Views on Israel’s military actions demonstrate significant variation among the Jewish population. Among religiously affiliated Jewish adults, approximately 8 in 10 considered Israel’s immediate military response to Hamas’ attack on October 7 justified, though only about half support the ongoing military operations in Gaza. The pattern differs among non-religiously affiliated Jewish adults, with approximately half viewing the initial response as justified and only about 2 in 10 accepting the continuing operations. Regarding accusations of genocide, about one-quarter of religiously affiliated Jewish adults believe Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians, while roughly 4 in 10 non-religiously affiliated Jewish adults hold this view.
Concerns about antisemitism and personal safety emerged as significant issues in the survey. Approximately 6 in 10 Jewish adults characterized prejudice against Jewish people as an extremely or very serious problem in the United States. About one-third reported feeling safe as Jewish individuals in the country, while another third felt unsafe, with the remainder neutral. A notable share—roughly 3 in 10—reported that they or household members experienced physical assault, verbal abuse, online harassment, or property damage related to their Jewish identity within the previous year.
Regarding political leadership, few Jewish adults expressed confidence in current political figures’ support for Jewish communities. Only about 2 in 10 Jewish adults assessed President Donald Trump as extremely or very supportive of Jewish people, a proportion similar to their evaluation of both major political parties, though Jewish adults were somewhat more likely to view the Democratic Party as at least somewhat supportive. The survey found that approximately 7 in 10 Jewish adults held unfavorable views of Trump.
Generational differences emerged regarding the centrality of Israel support to Jewish identity. Among religiously affiliated Jewish adults aged 45 and older, about half identified supporting Israel as extremely or very important to their Jewish identity. In contrast, only about 4 in 10 younger religiously affiliated adults prioritized this. Younger Jewish adults showed greater emphasis on other identity markers, with approximately 7 in 10 under 45 considering Jewish holiday celebration extremely or very important to their identity, compared to about half of older adults.
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