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American public opinion toward Israel has shifted markedly since the Gaza war began, with favorable views of both the Israeli people and the Israeli government declining across party lines, age groups and religious communities, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. Views of Palestinians, by contrast, have remained largely unchanged, narrowing what was once a wide gap in how Americans perceived the two peoples.
The survey, conducted May 4-17, 2026, among 12,574 U.S. adults, found that Americans now view the Palestinian people nearly as favorably as the Israeli people, a significant change from 2022, when Israelis were regarded considerably more positively.
The poll was conducted approximately two months after the start of the U.S.- and Israeli-led war in Iran, and before Hamas announced it was dissolving its government in Gaza.
Negative views of the Israeli government have risen sharply in recent years, while attitudes toward the Palestinian Authority and Hamas have changed little. Majorities of Americans now hold unfavorable opinions of all three political entities, including the Israeli government, the Palestinian Authority, which administers the West Bank, and Hamas, which has controlled Gaza.
The decline in favorable views of both the Israeli people and the Israeli government has occurred among Republicans and Democrats alike, though the drop has been steeper among Democrats, widening the partisan gap since 2022.
Republicans continue to hold significantly more favorable views of the Israeli people and government, while Democrats express warmer attitudes toward the Palestinian people, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, though few in either party view Hamas favorably.
Republican views of the Palestinian people have grown more negative during this period, while Democratic views have held relatively steady.
Age remains one of the sharpest fault lines in American attitudes toward Israelis and Palestinians. Americans under 30 are far more favorable toward the Palestinian people, at 58% , than toward the Israeli people, at 32% .
That gap is driven largely by young Democrats, 72% of whom view Palestinians favorably compared with just 26% who say the same about Israelis.
Republicans under 30 now view both groups at roughly similar levels, a notable shift from a few years ago when they were significantly more likely to favor Israelis.
Americans 50 and older show the reverse pattern, with older Republicans in particular viewing Israelis considerably more favorably than Palestinians. Older Democrats favor Palestinians over Israelis, but by a smaller margin than their younger counterparts.
On political leadership, Americans under 30 view the Palestinian Authority more favorably than the Israeli government, and the youngest Democrats are slightly more inclined to view Hamas favorably than the Israeli government, the reverse of what older Democrats report.
Jewish Americans and White evangelical Protestants hold the most favorable views of Israel among religious groups. White evangelicals are the only religious community in which a majority, 57%, view the Israeli government favorably.
Jewish attitudes have nonetheless shifted: 83% now view the Israeli people favorably, down from 89% in 2024, while 47% view the Israeli government favorably, down from 54%.
Younger Jewish adults are less favorable toward both the Israeli people and the Israeli government than older Jews, at 76% versus 88% for the Israeli people, and 41% versus 52% for the Israeli government. Views among younger Jews toward other groups have remained relatively stable since 2024.
Muslims, Black Protestants and religiously unaffiliated Americans, those who identify as atheist, agnostic or nothing in particular, express warmer views of the Palestinian people and the Palestinian Authority than other groups do.
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