Gallup Polls on American Sympathy
Toward Israel and the Arabs/Palestinians

(Updated April 2013)

American Public Opinion: Table of Contents | Opinion on U.S. Middle East Policy | Index of Polls

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Gallup Poll results of the most consistently asked question regarding American public attitudes toward the Middle East: “In the Middle East situation, are your sympathies more with Israel or with the Arab nations?”

 

Month Year Israel Arabs
June 2-7 1967 38 3
June 1967 56 4
Jan. 1969 50 5
Jan. 23-28 1969 44 5
Feb. 1969 41 4
Feb. 1970 44 3
March 1970 38 3
Oct. 2-7 1973 38 3
Oct. 5-8 1973 47 6
Oct. 16 1973 44 5
Oct. 19-22 1973 48 6
Dec. 4 1973 48 7
Dec. 7-10 1973 54 8
Dec. 1973 48 7
Jan. 1974 38 6
Jan. 1975 44 8
Apr. 4-7 1975 37 8
June 3-6 1977 44 8
Oct. 14-17 1977 46 11
Dec. 1977 37 8
Feb. 1978 33 14
Mar. 1978 38 11
Apr. 1978 38 22
May 1978 44 10
Aug. 4-7 1978 42 11
Sep. 1978 41 12
Sep. 1978 42 12
Nov. 1978 41 13
Jan. 5-8 1979 40 14
Mar. 1979 34 11
Nov. 1979 40 14
Oct. 1980 45 13
Aug. 1981 44 11
Nov. 1981 49 12
Jan. 1982 49 14
May 1982 51 12
June 11-14 1982 52 10
Jul. 1982 52 10
Aug. 1982 41 12
Sep. 1982 32 28
Oct. 1982 40 17
Jan. 1983 49 12
Mar. 1983 49 12
Jan. 1983 49 12
May 1986 43 20
May 1988 37 15*
Dec. 1988 46 24
Aug. 1989 50 14
Oct. 1990 48 23
Jan. 1991 64 8
Feb. 1991 64 7
March 1991 60 17
Aug. 1991 59 21
Sept. 1993 42 15*
Nov. 1996 38 15*
Aug. 1997 38 8*
Dec. 1998 46 13*
July 1999 43 14*
Jan. 2000 43 13*
July 2000 41 12*
Oct. 2000 41 11*
Feb. 2001 51 16*
Aug. 2001 41 13*
Sept. 2001 55 7*
Dec. 2001 51 14*
Feb. 2002 55 14*
March 2002 43 14*
April 2002 50 15*
April 22-24 2002 47 13*
May 2002 49 15*
June 2002 49 14*
Sept. 2002 47 14*
Feb. 2003 58 13*
May 2003 46 16*
Feb. 2004 55 18*
Feb. 2005 52 18*
Feb. 2006 59 15*
Feb. 2007 58 20*
Feb. 2008 59 17*
Feb. 2009 59 18*
Feb 2010 63 15*
Feb. 2011 63 17*
Feb. 2012 61 19*
Feb. 2013 64 12*

Avg. All Polls (N=84) 47.11 12.33
All Polls After 67 War 47.22 12.45
Avg. 2000- 52.31 14.81
Avg. 90s 50.20 14.10
Avg. 80s 45.76 14.59
Avg. 70s 41.85 9.27
Avg. Post-Oslo (9/93) 50.83 14.50
     

Pre-Disengagement (pre-September 2005)

 45.67 11.88
Post-Disengagement (post-September 2005) 60.75 16.63
     
Question Referring to Palestinians Instead of Arabs (N=135) 50.55 14.52
     
Record High Support for Israel: 64% (Jan. and Feb. 1991 and Feb 2013)
Record High Support for Palestinians: 20% (Feb. 2007)
 
Record Low Support for Israel: 32% (Sept. 1982 - at time of publicity of Sabra & Shatilla massacre)
Record Low Support for Palestinians: 7% (Sept. 2001)

By Administration

 
Number of Polls
Israel
Arabs/Palestinians
Johnson 2 47.00 3.50
Nixon/Ford 15 44.20 5.60
Carter 15 40.33 12.27
Reagan 15 45.53 14.73
Bush 6 57.50 15.00
Clinton 8 41.50 12.88
George W. Bush 18 53.70 15.09
Barack Obama 5 62.00 16.20

 

*Question asked about Palestinian Arabs

 

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