American Sympathy Toward Israel
and the Arabs/Palestinians

(Updated January 4, 2010)

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*
Feb. 2008 Gallup 59 17*
March 2008 Israel Project+ 60 8*
July 2008 Israel Project+ 69 6*
Sept. 2008 Israel Project+ 51 7*
Nov. 2008 Israel Project+ 57 6*
Jan. 2009 Pew 49 11*
Jan. 2009 Israel Project+ 57 8*
Feb. 2009 Gallup 59 18*
June 2009 Israel Project+ 49 7*
August 2009 Israel Project+ 58 8*
Oct. 2009 ADL 45 15*
Average for 188 polls 46.80 11.10

*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 59 50.36 10.39
Barack Obama 4 52.75 12.00

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