Majority of Americans Now View Israel Unfavorably, Pew Finds

A majority of American adults now hold an unfavorable view of Israel, according to a Pew Research Center survey released April 7. The poll, conducted March 23–29 among 3,507 U.S. adults, found that 60% view Israel negatively, up from 53% last year and 42% in 2022.

The findings point to a continued and widening shift in U.S. public opinion, with negative views no longer concentrated among Democrats alone and increasingly driven by younger Americans across the political spectrum.

Among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, 80% now express an unfavorable view of Israel. Republicans and Republican leaners remain more favorable overall, with 58% holding a positive view, but that support has weakened. Among Republicans under 50, 57% now view Israel negatively, marking a shift within a group that has traditionally been more supportive.

The intensity of these views has also grown. The share of Americans who say they have a “very unfavorable” opinion of Israel has risen to 28%, nearly triple the 10% recorded in 2022.

Opinions differ sharply across religious groups. Jewish Americans and white evangelical Protestants remain the most supportive, with 64% and 65% expressing favorable views, respectively. Lower levels of support were recorded among white non-evangelical Protestants (39%), Catholics (35%), and Black Protestants (33%). Among Muslim Americans, 4% said they view Israel positively, while support among the religiously unaffiliated also remained low.

The survey also found declining confidence in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A majority of respondents, 59%, said they have little or no confidence in him to do the right thing regarding world affairs, up from 52% last year. Among Democrats, 76% expressed a lack of confidence, with about half saying they have no confidence at all. Republicans were more divided, with 45% expressing confidence in Netanyahu and 44% saying they have little or no confidence.

Views of U.S. leadership on the issue were also mixed. More than half of Americans, 55%, said they lack confidence in President Donald Trump to make good decisions regarding the U.S.-Israel relationship, a level that has remained unchanged since August 2025. At the same time, respondents expressed slightly more confidence in Trump’s handling of U.S.-Israel ties than in his approach to other foreign policy issues, including U.S. policy toward Iran.

Other recent polling has pointed in a similar direction. A Gallup survey released in February 2026 found that more Americans sympathize with Palestinians than with Israelis, while separate polling has shown declining approval of Israel’s military actions in Gaza.

Conducted about a month into the U.S.-Israel military campaign in Iran, the Pew survey reflects a continued erosion in public support for Israel among Americans, alongside persistently low confidence in Israeli and U.S. leadership on the issue.