CNN
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According to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS, Americans are increasingly skeptical of Israel’s actions in Gaza, as they discovered growing sentiment that Israel should bring back military aid to Israel.
Only 23% of Americans who say Israel’s actions were fully justified have fallen 27 percentage points from an October 2023 poll that took place shortly after Hamas’ October 7 attack. Another 27% said these actions were partially justified, while 22% said they were not justified at all. In October 2023, only 8% said Israel’s actions were not justified at all.
This drop cuts across party boundaries, but is much larger between Democrats and independents. Since 2023, the proportion of Democrats who say Israel’s actions have been fully justified has fallen from 38% to just 7%, with 45% to 14% among independents and Republicans’ shares falling from 68% to 52%.
Since March this year, the share of Democrats and democratic adults says the US is offering too much military aid to Israel, but the proportion of Republican adults remains stable at 24%. Democratically allying adults under the age of 35 are particularly opposed to US military aid to Israel, with 72% saying the United States should be too large, including 43% who say the US should stop aid to Israel completely and 43% who say it should reduce the amount of military aid.
The young adults at the party have expressed their most skepticism about Israel. One in 10 adults under the age of 35 say Israeli military action in Gaza has been completely justified, while the third says Israeli actions are not justified at all. Young adults are also most likely saying that Israel uses too much military power (61%) and that the US does too much to help Israel in the war with Hamas (56%).
People of color are equally skeptical. 13% say Israel’s actions in Gaza are completely justified. Nearly six out of ten people of colour. (57%) say Israel is using too much military force.
Americans are divided into Israeli military use and American aid to Israel. Half of Americans say Israel uses too much military power in Gaza (39% say the amount of power is on the right, with 10% being too little). According to the rising share, the US says it’s too much to support Israel in the war with Hamas (42%, up from 34% in March this year, to 33% in January 2024), while 42% say the US is helping the right amount, with 14% too little. Americans believe that the United States has too many divisions between reducing military aid (22% of all adults) and halting completely (21%).
The increasing share of Americans expressing concern about the scope of US aid to Israel is arose amid wider questions about the state’s involvement in international affairs.
A majority (56%) should not play a leading role in trying to solve international problems (43% say the US should do that), a change since March when the masses were split almost evenly.
In particular, democratically ally adults are separated from their support for an active US role around the world. The majority of Democrats and Democrats (58%) said the US should play a leading role in solving international issues in March, weeks after the conflict in the elliptical office between Ukrainian President Voldy Mee Zelensky, Trump and Vice President JD Vance. That portion has now fallen to 44%, with a return to the more familiar ground (42% of democratically allying adults favored the leading role in 2004, and 37% said the same thing in 2015). The poll was protected weeks after US troops hit three nuclear sites in Iran.
The division among democratically ally adults in the country’s role in international affairs further divides the party’s views on Israel. Among Democrats and democratic adults who say the US should not play a leading role in general, we believe Israel’s military action against Hamas is fully or partially justified (compared to 61% of people who say the US should play a leading role).
Before Trump was first elected, adults allied by Republicans were more supportive of the US’s leading role (65% in 2004 and 54% in 2015), and Republicans were historically headed towards American interventionism. After Trump ended US intervention and became a key pillar of his presidential campaign, the party has split between the more traditional Hawks and isolationists, with adults who were allied by Republicans now split equally about whether the country should play a leading role.
Reflecting a more traditional view, a Republican from North Carolina writes that helping Ukraine defeat Russia is the most important issue facing the country. However, other Republicans felt that US interventionism had resulted in American citizens, including one from Pennsylvania.
Still, diplomacy is the best for a few Americans, naming foreign policy-related issues to just 5% as the most important issues facing the country.
Trump remains underwater in handling diplomacy
Americans are widely skeptical of Trump’s handling of diplomacy (40% have approved 60%, roughly the same as in April). In the aftermath of the US military strike in Iran, the public has expressed doubts about Trump taking on the role of up to 40%, 59% approval ratings, and 59% approval ratings, higher than any point in his first term.
The majority (53%) also say that Trump’s foreign policy decisions have undermined America’s status worldwide. An independent Michigan polled, wrote that the most important issue facing the country is, “The world is now looking at the United States. We were a sign of hope at once.”
Republicans generally approve Trump’s handling of diplomacy (86% approved) and his role as commander (84%), but say his foreign policy decisions supported America’s status (15% say he hurts and 17% say he didn’t make a difference). Democrats have a more uniformly negative view of Trump’s handling of diplomacy. 93% disapproved of handling diplomacy, 91% say how he handled his role as commander, and 89% say his decision has erod America’s status (only 4% say they helped).
Some key figures in the Trump administration’s handling of diplomacy are viewed at a disadvantage by Americans, including Vance (45% is unfavourable to 33%), Secretary of State Marco Rubio (preferably if 36% is unfavourable to 24%), and Secretary of Defense (34% is unfavourable to 17%). All three are very popular among Republicans, but a significant shares are still unsure about their feelings towards Rubio and Heggs.
The CNN poll was conducted by SSRS between July 10-13 in a random national sample of 1,057 US adults drawn from a probability-based panel. The survey was conducted online or via telephone with a live interviewer. All adult results have a margin of sampling error of ±3.5 percentage points.
CNN’s Jennifer Agiesta and Ariel Edwards-Levy contributed to this report.