More than 4 in 10 Americans say they disapprove of President Joe Biden's response to the Israel-Hamas war, including 46% of those under the age of 30, according to a new Pew Research Center poll released Friday.
More than a third (35%) surveyed say they approve of Biden's response compared to 41% who disapprove. Nearly a quarter (24%) of Americans surveyed said they're not sure. Just 19% of those surveyed under the age of 30 approve of Biden's response.
Across the political spectrum, 51% of Republicans say they disapprove of Biden's response, while 33% of Democrats disapprove. And 44% of Democrats approved, versus 22% who said they aren't sure.
That said, 25% of those surveyed say Biden is striking the right balance between Israel and the Palestinians. Twenty-one percent say Biden favors Israel too much, while 16% said he favors the Palestinians too much.
The conflict is between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian terrorists who govern Gaza and instigated the conflict with its Oct. 7 incursion into Israel, resulting in the massacre of more than 1,200 people, most of them civilians.
To that end, 65% of Americans say Hamas bears more responsibility for the conflict than Israel (35%). In Pew's breakdown, 73% of Republicans and GOP-leaning independents say Hamas bears more responsibility. Sixty-two percent of Democrats and left-leaning independents agree. But 50% of Democrats and left-leaning independents say Israel bears a lot of responsibility versus just 21% of Republicans and GOP-leaning independents.
In the age breakdown, 46% of adults 18 to 29 say Hamas bears a lot of responsibility versus 60% of older age groups who point the finger at Hamas.
Regarding Israel's military operation in Gaza, 27% say Israel is going too far; 25% say it's the right approach; 16% say Israel isn't going far enough; and 32% are unsure. Among Democrats, 45% say Israel is going too far compared to just 12% of Republicans. More younger Americans surveyed say Israel is going too far versus older age groups, according to Pew.
Pew surveyed 5,203 adults from Nov. 27-Dec. 3 with a margin of error of +/- 1.8 points.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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