American Sympathy Toward Israel
and the Arabs/Palestinians

The following are 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 Pollster Israel Arabs
June 2-7 1967
Gallup
 38 3
June 1967 Gallup 56 4
June 1967 Harris 41 1
Jan. 1969 Gallup 50 5
Jan. 23-28 1969
Gallup
 44 5
Feb. 1969
Gallup
 41 4
Feb. 1970 Gallup 44 3
March 1970
Gallup
 38 3
Oct. 1970 Harris 47 6
June 1971 Harris 46 7
July 1971 Harris 44 7
Oct. 2-7 1973 Gallup 38 3
Oct. 5-8 1973 Gallup 47 6
Oct. 16 1973 Gallup 44 5
Oct. 19-22 1973 Gallup 48 6
Oct. 1973 Harris 39 4
Nov. 1973 Roper 48 7
Dec. 4 1973
Gallup
 48 7
Dec.7-10 1973 Gallup 54 8
Dec. 1973 Gallup 50 7
Jan. 1974 Gallup 38 6
Oct. 1974 Yankelovich 55 9
Jan. 1975 Gallup 44 8
Jan. 1975 Harris 33 14*
Apr. 1975 Gallup 37 8
Apr. 1975 Roper 43 7
Jan. 1976 Harris 52 6
Jan. 1976 Harris 40 10*
Jan. 1976 Yankelovich 56 9
Mar. 1977 Roper 43 5
June 1977 Gallup 44 8
Nov. 1977 Gallup 46 11
Dec. 1977 Gallup 37 8
Jan. 1977 Roper 47 6
Jan. 1978 Roper 37 10
Mar. 1978 Gallup 44 11
Apr. 1978 Gallup 38 11
May 1978 Roper 35 9
Aug. 1978 Gallup 42 11
Nov. 1978 Gallup 41 13*
Mar. 1979 Roper 36 9
Apr. 1979 Yankelovich 47 11
Oct. 1979 Los Angeles Times 49 11
Dec. 1979 Yankelovich 49 6
Dec. 1979 Yankelovich 49 15*
Jan. 1979 Gallup 40 14
Mar. 1979 Gallup 34 11
Nov. 1979 Gallup 40 14
Mar. 1980 Roper 37 10
July 1980 Harris 52 12
July 1980 Harris 47 14*
Oct. 1980 Gallup 45 13
July-Aug. 1981 Gallup 44 11
July 1981 Roper 35 10
Aug. 1981 Harris 47 15*
Nov. 1981 Gallup 49 12
Jan. 1982 Gallup 49 14
Mar. 1982 Washington Post/ABC 55 18
May 1982 Gallup 51 12
June 1982 Gallup 52 10
June 1982 Roper 39 9
Jul. 1982 Los Angeles Times 48 17
Jul. 1982 Gallup 52 10
Aug. 1982 Gallup 41 12
Aug. 1982 Washington Post/ABC 52 18
Sep. 1982 Roper 40 12
Sep. 1982 Gallup 32 28
Oct. 1982 Roper 38 14
Oct. 1982 Gallup 40 17*
Jan. 1983 Gallup 49 12
Jan. 1983 Washington Post/ABC 47 17
Feb.-Mar. 1983 Washington Post/ABC 52 16
Mar. 1983 Gallup 49 12
July 1983 Roper 37 9
Jan. 1983 Gallup 49 12
Jan. 1984 Roper 44 8
Mar. 1984 Roper 39 8
July 1985 Washington Post/ABC 49 11
Oct. 1985 Harris 64 14
Apr. 1985 Roper 42 10
May 1986 Gallup 43 20*
June 1986 Roper 53 8
Feb. 1987 Harris 58 8
March 1987 Roper 48 8
Apr. 1987 AJC 50 14*
Jan. 1988 Penn & Schoen 47 14
Apr. 1988 AJC 61 13
Apr. 1988 AJC 55 23*
Apr. 1988 Los Angeles Times 51 12
Apr. 1988 Los Angeles Times 37 25*
Apr. 1988 Chicago Tribune 42 27*
Apr. 1988 Roper 37 11
May 1988 ADL 44 13
May 1988 Gallup 37 15*
Dec. 1988 Gallup 46 24*
Apr. 1989 Washington Post/ABC 69 16
Apr. 1989 Roper 34 14*
June 1989 Roper 36 13
Aug. 1989 Gallup 50 14*
Sept. 1989 Marttila & Kiley 53 14
Sept. 1989 Marttila & Kiley 42 30*
Mar. 1990 Harris 52 18
May 1990 AJC (Roper) 39 9
May 1990 Roper 34 15*
June 1990 New York Times/CBS 40 19
Oct. 1990 Gallup 48 23*
Dec. 1990 Marttila & Kiley 48 20
Jan. 1991 Gallup 64 8
March 1991 New York Times/CBS 49 20
March 1991 Gallup 60 17*
Sept. 1993 Gallup 42 15*
Nov. 1996 Gallup 38 15*
Aug. 1997 Gallup 38 8*
  1997 New York Times/CBS 48 13*
April 1998 New York Times/CBS 58 13*
Dec. 1998 Gallup 46 13*
July 1999 Gallup 43 14*
Jan. 2000 Gallup 43 13*
July 2000 Gallup 41 12*
Oct. 2000 Gallup 41 11*
Feb. 2001 Gallup 51 16*
Aug 2001 Gallup 41 13*
Sept. 2001 Gallup 55 7*
Dec. 2001 Gallup 51 14*
Feb. 2002 Gallup 55 14*
March 2002 Gallup 43 14*
April 2002 Gallup 50 15*
April 22-24 2002 Gallup 47 13*
May 2002 Gallup 49 15*
June 2002 Gallup 49 14*
Sept. 2002 Gallup 47 14*
Feb. 2003 Gallup 58 13*
April 2003 Israel Project+ 23 3*
May 2003 Gallup 46 16*
May 8 2003 Israel Project+ 46 7*
May 29 2003 Israel Project+ 42 8*
July 2003 Israel Project+ 48 10*
Aug 2003 Israel Project+ 42 6*
Nov 2003 Israel Project+ 47 11*
Dec 2003 ADL 40 15*
Jan. 2004 Israel Project+ 52 10*
Feb. 2004 Gallup 55 18*
March 17 2004 Israel Project+ 52 8*
March 23 2004 Israel Project+ 48 8*
May 2004 Pew 46 12*
July 2004 Israel Project+ 47 9*
Sept. 2004 Israel Project+ 48 6*
Nov. 2004 Israel Project+ 49 10*
Jan. 2005 Israel Project+ 39 6*
Feb. 2005 Israel Project+ 40 10*
Feb. 2005 Gallup 52 18*
March 18-25 2005 ADL 42 13*
March 18-25 2005 ADL 44 9
May 2005 Israel Project+ 38 11*
Aug. 2005 Israel Project+ 38 8*
Oct. 2005 Israel Project+ 46 10*
Jan. 2006 Israel Project+ 45 7*
Feb. 2006 Gallup 59 15*
Mar-May 2006 Pew 48 13*
May 2006 Israel Project+ 48 7*
July 2 2006 Israel Project+ 45 6*
July 16-18 2006 Israel Project+ 60 7*
July 20 2006 Israel Project+ 57 8*
July 27 2006 Israel Project+ 58 6*
Aug. 2006 Israel Project+ 56 7*
Sept. 2006 Israel Project+ 53 5*
Nov. 2006 Israel Project+ 54 6*
Jan. 2007 Israel Project+ 50 7*
Feb. 2007 Gallup 58 20*
April 2007 Israel Project+ 65 10*
July 2007 Israel Project+ 49 5*
Oct. 2007 ADL 45 16*
Oct. 2007 Israel Project+ 48 7*
Dec. 2007 Israel Project+ 61 10*
Jan. 2008 Israel Project+ 62 9*
March 2008 Israel Project+ 71 8*
Average for 178  polls 46 11

*Palestinian Arabs

+Question wording slightly different: Thinking about the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians in the Middle East, pleae tell me wether, in general, you consider yourself to be a strong supporter of Israel, a supporter of Israel, a supporter of the Palestinians or a strong supporter of the Palestinians.

By Administration

 
Number of Polls
Israel
Arabs/Palestinians
Johnson 3 45.00 2.67
Nixon/Ford 28 44.75 6.39
Carter 23 42.57 10.57
Reagan 43 46.37 13.56
Bush 15 47.87 16.67
Clinton 10 43.80 12.70
George W. Bush 53 49.60 10.53

Should the United States be more sympathetic to the concerns of the Palestinian minority in Israel than it is now? (CBS News/New York Times Poll, June 5-8. 1990)

  June 1990 July 1988
Yes 38 26
No 37 49
DK/NA 28 25

See also