Low Approval Ratings for Biden’s Handling of Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
A recent poll conducted by The New York Times and Siena College reveals that only one-third of registered voters approve of President Joe Biden’s approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This dissatisfaction is particularly pronounced among younger voters. This data is consistent with other polls conducted this month, which have highlighted significant partisan and generational divides over the Israel-Hamas war and Biden’s response.
Young Voters Express Discontent
According to the Times/Siena poll, Biden’s overall approval rating among registered voters is 37%, with a slightly lower 33% approving of his handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Among voters under 30, his approval rating drops to 26% overall and 20% for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A significant 45% of voters under 30 disapprove of Biden’s handling of the conflict, believing he is too supportive of Israel.
US Aid to Israel and Civilian Casualties in Gaza
Despite the disapproval of Biden’s handling of the conflict, a 54% majority of registered voters support the US providing additional economic and military aid to Israel, with 38% opposed. However, voters believe, by a margin of 48% to 30%, that Israel is not taking enough precautions to avoid civilian casualties in Gaza. This comes amidst increasing tensions between the Biden administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the rising civilian casualties in Gaza.
Trust in Handling the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
When asked who they trust more to handle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, 46% of registered voters in the Times/Siena poll chose former President Donald Trump, 38% chose Biden, and 15% were unsure. Only 1% of registered voters named the situation in Israel as the most important issue currently facing the US, with 34% naming economic- or inflation-related concerns.
Public Perception of Responsibility for the Israel-Hamas War
A Pew Research Center poll released earlier this month found that Americans broadly place responsibility on Hamas for the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, but significant shares of Democrats and younger adults believe that Israel’s current military operation is going too far. In the Pew survey, 27% said Israel is going too far in its current military operation against Hamas, 25% believe it’s taking the right approach, and 16% believe it’s not going far enough, with about one-third unsure.
Public Interest in the Israel-Hamas War
Only about a quarter of Americans in the Pew survey said they were following the Israel-Hamas war extremely or very closely, with 37% saying they were following the news somewhat closely, and 36% not following it too closely, or at all. Just 18% of adults under 50 said they were paying extremely or very close attention.
Approval of Biden’s Handling of the Israel-Hamas War
An AP-NORC poll released earlier this month found that 37% of US adults, including 59% of Democrats, approved of Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war – an uptick within his own party from November, when just half of Democrats approved. Two-thirds of the public called recovering hostages held by Hamas in Gaza a very or extremely important goal for the US, with 48% saying it was similarly important to negotiate a permanent ceasefire, 46% to provide humanitarian relief to Palestinians in Gaza and 34% to provide aid to Israel’s military to fight Hamas.
Biden’s Average Job Approval Rating
In CNN’s most recent Poll of Polls average, Biden’s average job approval rating among US adults stands at 38%. The Times/Siena poll tested a hypothetical general election matchup between Biden and Trump and found no clear leader. Among all registered voters, Trump takes 46% to Biden’s 44%. Among those considered likely to vote at this early stage, Biden takes 47% to Trump’s 45%.
Methodology of the Poll
The New York Times/Siena College poll of 1,016 registered voters nationwide was conducted by telephone using live operators from December 10-14, 2023. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points for registered voters.
This story has been updated with additional information. CNN’s Haley Britzky contributed to this report.