New Poll Shows Support for Israel Plummeting Among U.S. Liberals, Millennials and Women
Recent Economist-YouGov surveys indicate that the generally positive views of Israel are being steadily eroded in the hyperpolarized Trump era
Posted on Oct 26, 2018 @ 1:59AM by Chemi Shalev
>A new poll released this week highlights the growing imbalance in U.S. public opinion’s support for Israel and the stark demographic similarities between Israel’s strongest supporters and the profile of the average Donald Trump voter. The poll reveals a generally positive view of Israel, but one that is in constant decline and increasingly split along partisan lines.
>Comparisons between the new poll and previous Economist/YouGov polls that posed identical questions also corroborate the notion of steady erosion in the number of Americans who are willing to express strong support for Israel. In 2015, 47 percent of Americans described Israel as “an ally.” In 2017, the number was down to 41 percent. In the most recent poll, the figure is even lower, at 37 percent alone.
>Although the polls indicate a slight increase in support for Israel among Republicans/conservatives, it does not offset the sharper drop in support among Democrats/liberals. The poll corroborates other findings that indicate that Israel has become embroiled in the hyper-partisan conflict generated by Trump’s presidency. The perception of close ties between Trump and Israel and between Netanyahu and Trump are definitely pushing Democrats and liberals to distance themselves from the Jewish state.
>The comprehensive Economist/YouGov poll of 1,500 U.S. adults, which included scores of questions on Trump’s performance and foreign policy, shows that support for Israel is directly co-related to gender, age, economic status and political outlook. It is strongest among older, well-to-do, conservative white men and weakest among young, liberal, minorities and women.
>Perhaps the most surprising and hitherto least reported indication of this disparate support is the gender gap: Asked whether Israel, along with other countries, is seen as friend or foe, 46 percent of men described Israel as an ally compared to only 29 percent of women. Another 25 percent of both sexes described Israel as “friendly.”
>The imbalance is even more pronounced when broken down by other demographic criteria: Only 25 percent of those 18-29-years-old said that Israel was an ally, compared to 55 percent of those over 65. Forty-three percent of whites viewed Israel as an ally, compared to only 19 percent of African Americans and 22 percent of Hispanics. Twenty-nine percent of households earning less that $50K a year viewed Israel favorably but 49 percent of those earning $100K and over did. Twenty-nine percent of those who voted for Clinton in 2016 saw Israel as an ally compared to 65 percent of Trump voters. And 27 percent of liberals say Israel favorable compared to 33 percent of moderates but a whopping 60 percent of conservatives.
Source: haaretz.com
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