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.

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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%.