World
1 in 8 young Americans like Hamas, a slight decline — survey
One in eight young Americans has a favorable view of the Hamas terrorist group, according to a survey released on Thursday that, like other recent polls, has shown support for Israel dropping in the US public.
The Pew Research Center survey found that 13% of Americans aged 18-29 had a favorable view of the terrorist group, down from 18% last year and 14% in 2024. There was no data from previous years, before Hamas’s October 2023 invasion of Israel.
Older Americans had a less favorable view of the terrorists, at 11% for those aged 30-49, and 6% for ages 50-64.
For Democrats, 13% had a favorable view of Hamas, compared to 6% of Republicans. Both numbers have held roughly steady since 2024.
For Democrats aged 18-29, one in six had a favorable view of Hamas, compared to one in nine Republicans.
Young Democrats have favored Hamas over the Israeli government for the past three years.
For religious groups, support for Hamas was highest among Muslims, at 44%, an increase of seven points compared to 2024.
Support was lowest among Jews, at 2%, and white evangelical Protestants, 4%.
The poll, in line with other recent surveys, showed the American public turning against Israel, particularly among younger and more liberal respondents.
One-quarter of respondents in 2022 had an unfavorable view of the Israeli people, which has increased to 42%, while favorability has dropped from 67% to 52%.
Support for Palestinians has remained relatively steady for the past seven years, with 50% saying they had a favorable view of the Palestinian people, about the same as Israelis.
The Israeli government went from 43% unfavorable in 2022 to 62% in this week’s survey.
Republicans hold a more positive view of Israelis and the Israeli government, although each has declined about 10% since 2023.
For Republicans, 65% have a favorable view of the Israeli people, compared to 43% of Democrats.
Support for Israel is dropping among young Republicans, who view Israelis and Palestinians about equally, at around 40% approval.
Overall, respondents under 30 backed the Palestinians, at 58%, more than Israelis, at 32%.
For young Democrats, 72% were pro-Palestinian and 26% pro-Israeli.
The survey queried 12,574 US adults in May and had a margin of error of 1.3%.
