Vast Majority of Americans Support Israel Over Hamas: Poll

An overwhelming majority of Americans support Israel in its war against Hamas over the militant group that runs the Gaza Strip, according to a new poll.

The Harvard CAPS-Harris poll shared with The Hill showed that 80 percent of registered voters said they support Israel more in the war, while 20 percent said they support Hamas more. That’s roughly in line with last month’s poll findings, when 79 percent said they were more supportive of Israel.

In this month’s poll, older age groups were more likely to support Israel than younger respondents, although clear majorities in each age group supported Israel more than Hamas . More than 90 percent of those 65 and older and 55 to 64 said they support Israel the most, while 85 percent of those 45 to 54 and three-quarters of those 35 to 44 said the same

Support for Israel was lowest among the youngest age groups. Pollsters found that 64 percent of 25-34 year olds and 57 percent of 18-24 year olds said they support Israel the most, while the rest of those age groups said they give the most support for Hamas.

The survey results come as numerous pro-Palestinian protests have erupted on college campuses across the country. Students have set up camps to protest for days at schools including Columbia and New York University.

Universities have responded to the protests with a range of tactics including negotiations, suspensions and arrests to try to end the encampments taking place on school property. Protesters have called for their universities to end their business relationships with companies they say are contributing to Israel’s war, which has killed thousands of Palestinians.

Mark Penn, co-director of the poll, said support for Israel “hasn’t wavered” despite “campus unrest.” He said the student protests seem out of step with broader public attitudes about Israel, noting that the poll showed Americans overwhelmingly want a ceasefire in the war, but only after Hamas is removed from power. and the hostages they captured during the October 7 attack. upon Israel are returned.

The survey found that 61 percent of respondents support a ceasefire only after those conditions are met, while 39 percent support an unconditional ceasefire. There is a sharp division by age group in the answers to this question.

An overwhelming majority of those aged 55 to 64 and those 65 and older support a ceasefire only after Hamas is gone and the hostages are returned. Smaller majorities of 35-44-year-olds and 45-54-year-olds also support it, while 59 percent of 25-34-year-olds and 67 percent of 18-24-year-olds support an end to unconditional fire

At the same time, the poll also found support for Israel to continue its military operation in the city of Rafah, where many Palestinian civilians have fled since the start of Israel’s offensive. Israeli leaders have said that Hamas militants are in the city.

More than 70 percent of respondents said Israel should go ahead with the operation, including 57 percent of 18-24 year olds and increasing percentages with each older age group.

Pollsters pointed out how the wording of a question matters, as 70% said they supported a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, but 68% said they would oppose it if it meant Hamas could continue holding hostages and running Gaza.

The Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll was conducted April 24-25 and surveyed 1,961 registered voters. It is a collaboration of the Center for American Political Studies at Harvard University and the Harris Poll.

The survey is an online sample drawn from the Harris panel and weighted to reflect known demographics. The margin of error is 2 points.