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American Attitudes Toward the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement

(2019 - Present)

Note: We are presenting raw data. When available, we provide some or all of the crosstabs (i.e., breakdowns by various categories such as party ID). To analyze the data, we encourage users to read the entire study and the methodology used. Results and reliability can be affected by such things as sample size, question wording, and question order. Responses may also be influenced by context and timing; for example, if the survey is conducted during a war.


See also

How effective, if at all, are the following student protest actions at getting colleges and universities to stop investing in companies affiliated with Israel? (FIRE/NORC, May 17-19, 2024)

  Effective Ineffective

Creating a petition

59% 38%

Distributing or posting materials anonymously

40% 57%

Holding a sign

52% 46%

Marching for long distances

46% 51%
Burning an American flag 11% 86%
Engaging in a hunger strike 28% 69%
Using amplified sound 39% 58%
Establishing encampments 30% 67%
Occupying buildings 27% 71%
Defacing school property 12% 85%

Some pro‑Palestinian student protesters have called for colleges to sell their investments in companies with direct or indirect ties to Israel. Do you think that selling these investments would be…? (YouGov, May 1-2, 2024).

Just and feasible

12%

Just but infeasible

13%

Unjust but feasible

8%

Unjust and infeasible

32%
Not sure 35%

Do you support/oppose the BDS movement [college students] (Schoen Cooperman Research, March 2024)

  2024
Support 29%
Oppose 16%
Not sure 55%

Is the BDS Movement Anti-Semitic? [college students after hearing about BDS, what it stands for, and what it attempts to do] (Schoen Cooperman Research, March 2024)

  2024
  College Students Jewish Students
Yes, the BDS Movement is anti-Semitic 18% 44%
Yes, the BDS Movement has some anti-Semitic supporters 25% 33%
No 20% 12%

Does the BDS Movement Pose a Threat to the safety of Jewish students? (Schoen Cooperman Research, March 2024)

  2024
  Jewish Students College Students
Serious threat 65% 36%
Not a serious threat 27% 29%

Is It Important to Use Your Voice to Stand Against BDS on Campus? [Jewish college students] (Schoen Cooperman Research, March 2024)

  2024
Important 62%
Not important 26%
It is critical for Jewish students and organizations to fight back against the BDS movement on college campuses. BDS is an anti-Semitic attempt to delegitimize Israel, and to marginalize and ostracize Jewish students for their beliefs. 52%
While the BDS movement is antisemitic, Jewish students and  organizations should not actively fight back against it. It does more harm than good to engage with this organization, and the efforts to do so will only bring negative attention to the Jewish community. 25%

What is your position, if you have one, on the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement aimed at Israel?*  (University of Maryland, October 4-10, 2019, March 27-April 5, 2023)

  2019 2023
  Total Rep. Ind. Dem. Total
Support strongly

8%

1%
5%
5%
4%
Support somewhat

18%

2%
6%
8%
5%
Neither support nor oppose
26%
10%
10%
13%
11%
Oppose somewhat
9%
5%
5%
3%
4%
Oppose strongly
38%
17%
12%
3%
11%
I am unfamiliar
52%**
39%
36%
42%
39%
Don't know
 
27%
25%
24%
26%
Total Support
26%
3%
11%
13%
9%
Total Oppose
47%
22%
17%
6%
15%

*2019 wording: Based on what you have heard, do you support or oppose BDS, or the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement.
**2019 wording: How much have you heard about BDS, or the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement aimed at Israel?

How much have you heard about the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel? (Pew, March 7-13, 2022).

A lot

3%

Some

12%

Not much

31%

Nothing at all 53%

Generally speaking, do you support or oppose the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement? (Pew, March 7-13, 2022).

Support

5%

Neither support nor oppose

3%

Oppose 7%

 

 

How much, if anything, have you heard about the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement, or BDS, against Israel?  (Ruderman Family Foundation, (October 11-November 1, 2021)

  Jews

Heard some

63%

A great deal 

31%

Not much

18%

Nothing at all 19%

Do you support/oppose the BDS movement against Israel (asked only of those who had heard  of BDS)?  (Ruderman Family Foundation, October 11-November 1, 2021)

  Jews

Support

17%

Oppose

66%

 

How familiar are you with the BDS movement? (American Jewish Committee, Jews September 9-October 4, general public September 15-20, 2020; September 1 – October 3, 2021)

 
Jews
General Public
 
2019
2020
2021
2020
2021
Very familiar

26%

25%

23%

5%

4%

Somewhat familiar

36%

36%

36%

20%

17%

Not too familiar
14%
18%
15%
28%
27%
Not at all familiar
24%
21%
26%
47%
52%

Do you view the BDS movement as antisemitic?(American Jewish Committee, Jews September 9-October 4, general public September 15-20, 2020)

 
Jews
 
General Public
 
2019
2020
2021
2020
2021
Mostly antisemitic

35%

37%

40%

21%

30%

Some antisemitic supporters

47%

43%

42%

47%

33%

Not antisemitic
14%
15%
15%
19%
13%
Don't know/refused
4%
5%
3%
13%
25%

How much of a problem, if at all, do you think anti-Israel campaigns, such as the BDS movement, is for Jewish college students in the United States today? (AJC, September 1 – October 3, 2021)

 

Jews 2021

A Problem

54%

Not a Problem

24%

Don't know/refused
1%


How much have you heard about BDS, or the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement aimed at Israel? (University of Maryland, October 4-10, 2019)

A great deal

6%

A good amount

14%

A little
29%
I have not heard about it. Refused
52%

Tell me how much you agree or disagree with the following statement: BDS is a legitimate, peaceful way of opposing Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories. Inspired by the South African anti-apartheid movement, BDS urges action to pressure Israel to comply with international law. Opposing Israeli policy does not equal anti-Semitism. (University of Maryland, October 4-10, 2019)

Strongly disagree

32%

Somewhat disagree

11%

Neither agree nor disagree
20%
Somewhat agree
15%
Strongly agree
21%
Refused
1%
Total Disgree
43%
Total Agree
36%

Tell me how much you agree or disagree with the following statement: Regardless of how BDS defines itself, it is an anti-Israel organization attempting to weaken Israel and to undermine its legitimacy. Some of its supporters are opponents of Israel’s very existence and may even be anti-Semitic. (University of Maryland, October 4-10, 2019)

Strongly disagree

16%

Somewhat disagree

10%

Neither agree nor disagree
23%
Somewhat agree
15%
Strongly agree
34%
Refused
2%
Total Disgree
26%
Total Agree
49%

Now tell me, which of the following is closer to your view? (University of Maryland, October 4-10, 2019)

BDS is a legitimate, peaceful way of opposing Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories. Inspired by the South African anti-apartheid movement, BDS urges action to pressure Israel to comply with international law. Opposing Israeli policy does not equal anti-Semitism.

42%

Regardless of how BDS defines itself, it is an anti-Israel organization attempting to weaken Israel and to undermine its legitimacy. Some of its supporters are opponents of Israel’s very existence and may even be anti-Semitic.

54%

I have not heard about it. Refused
4%

Which of the following is closer to your view? (University of Maryland, October 4-10, 2019)

We should SUPPORT laws that penalize people who boycott Israel because these laws help protect Israel.

22%

We should OPPOSE laws that penalize people who boycott Israel because these laws infringe on the Constitutional right to free speech and peaceful protest.

72%

Refused
7%