American Opinion on U.S. Middle East Policy

Which of these two statements is closest to your own view? (ADL, October 23, 2011)

 
2007
2011
"American Jews stifle debate about U.S. policy toward Israel and the Middle East."
23%
25%
"The national debate about U.S. policy toward Israel and the Middle East is vigorous and wide open."
46%
52%

Obama promised to veto the Palestinian statehood bid, intervened in the embassy crisis with Egypt, and supported Israel in his UN speech. What's the main reason? (TNS/Teleseker, October 4-6, 2011)

Elections are coming, he needs Jewish votes
67%
He is balanced, may support Palestinians in future
9%
He's learned more about the Middle East
6%
Has always been pro-Israel
5%
Don't know
13%

Do you think President Obama is a strong supporter of Israel or not? (Quinnipiac University/The Israel Project, October 3, 2011)

 
April 2010
June 2011
October 2011
Approve
35%
35%
34%
Disapprove
44%
47%
48%

 

Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling the situation between Israel and the Palestinians? (Quinnipiac University/The Israel Project, October 3, 2011)

 
June 2011
July 2011
September 2011
October 2011
Approve
46%
47%
44%
44%
Disapprove
44%
43%
47%
48%

 

Do you think the President of the United States should be a strong supporter of Israel or not? (Quinnipiac University/The Israel Project, October 3, 2011)

 
April 2010
June 2011
October 2011
Republican
Independent
Democrat
Should
66%
66%
63%
76%
62%
56%
Should not
19%
18%
20%
12%
25%
19%

Regarding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict:

Would you say that President Obama favors Israel or favors the Palestinians?
(Independent Media Review Analysis, September 2011)

Israel
21.4%
Palestinians
36.2%
Treats them equally
20.6%
Don't know/Refused to answer
21.8%

Do you think Obama's policies towards Iran will succeed in convincing them to abandon developing nuclear weapons?
(Independent Media Review Analysis, September 2011)

Yes
10.2%
No
77.6%
Don't know/Refused to answer
12.2%

President Obama is pursuing a policy of diplomacy and sanctions to stop the Iran nuclear program. Do you think this policy will succeed?
(McLaughlin & Associates, October 2010)

Yes
28.0%
No
58.6%
Don't know/Refused to answer
13.4%

Do you think President Obama's policies toward Iran will stop them from getting nuclear weapons?
(McLaughlin & Associates, October 2010)

Yes
12.8%
No
78.5%
Don't know/Refused to answer
8.7%

Do you think President Obama's failure to stop Iran's nuclear program would lead to a nuclear arms race in the Middle East?
(McLaughlin & Associates, October 2010)

Yes
50.3%
No
33.8%
Don't know/Refused to answer
15.9%

When Israel faces a conflict with its enemies, do you want your elected officials to express their support for Israel, or to pressure Israel for a cease-fire? (McLaughlin & Associates, October 2010)

Support Israel
42.9%
Pressure Israel
32.4%
Don't know/Refuse to answer
14.8%

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? "The Israeli-Arab conflict is the key to improving American's standing and interests in the region." (McLaughlin & Associates, October 2010)

Agree
50.6%
Disagree
31.8%
Don't know/Refused to answer
17.7%

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? "Enemies of America use the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as an excuse to create anti-American sentiment. Even if the dispute is settled, they would find another way to justify their hostility towards America." (McLaughlin & Associates, October 2010)

Agree
81.8%
Disagree
11.2%
Don't know/Refused to answer
7.0%

Do you approve or disapprove of the job Barack Obama is doing handling America's relations with Israel? (McLaughlin & Associates, October 2010)

Approve
43.2%
Disapprove
44.3%
Don't know/Refuse to answer
12.6%

Do you think President Obama's policies in the Middle East are improving Israel's security or harming it? (McLaughlin & Associates, October 2010)

Improving security
29.6%
Harming it
42.7%
Don't know/Refuse to answer
27.7%

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? "Barack Obama has been less friendly to Israel than previous presidents." (McLaughlin & Associates, October 2010)

Agree
51.6%
Disagree
35.4%
Don't know/Refuse to answer
13.0%

President Barack Obama is committed to a policy of outreach to the Muslim World. Knowing this, do you think this policy has increased or decreased the security of the United States? (McLaughlin & Associates, October 2010)

Increased
33.1%
Decreased
46.5%
Don't know/Refuse to answer
20.4%

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? "Israel's enemies are America's enemies." (McLaughlin & Associates, October 2010)

Agree
50.9%
Disagree
38.4%
Don't know/Refuse to answer
10.7%

When it comes to the peace process, the Obama Administration has followed a policy of publicly criticizing and pressuring Israel, but not the Palestinians. Do you agree or disagree with this approach? (McLaughlin & Associates, October 2010)

Agree
27.0%
Disagree
54.4%
Don't know/Refuse to answer
18.7%

Thinking specifically about the Middle East, do you approve or disapprove of the way President Obama is handling U.S. policy toward Israel and the Palestinian territories? (ADL, October 2009)

Approve
46%
Disapprove
32%

In your opinion, does the Obama administration tilt toward Israel, the Palestinians, or is it generally balanced in its Middle East polices? (ADL, October 2009)

Toward Israel
13%
Toward the Palestinians
15%
Generally balanced
49%

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: "The U.S. is more likely to be targeted for terrorist attack because of our support for Israel." (ADL)

 
2003
2005
2007
2009
Agree
73%
68%
65%
64%
Disagree
33%
22%
26%
-

In your opinion, should the U.S. continue to support Israel even if it means there will be a greater risk of terrorist attacks against America, or should the U.S. pull back from its support of Israel to minimize the risk of a terrorist attack in this country? (ADL)

 
2003
2005
2007
2009
Support
62%
61%
57%
61%
Pull back
31%
31%
34%
33%