Members of law enforcement enter a pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA on May 2 in Los Angeles. Photo by Eric Thayer/Getty Images

By Beth Harpaz May 2, 2024

A new survey found 47% of U.S. voters believe colleges should ban pro-Palestinian protests, compared to 30% who say the demonstrations should be permitted. A slightly smaller number — 41% — would ban pro-Israel protests.

The vast majority of voters — 76% — also said they support colleges asking police to protect campuses from violence. 

The survey was conducted April 27-28, before the latest police crackdowns of recent days, including the New York Police Department’s removal of activists who had occupied a building on the campus of Columbia University; the Los Angeles Police Department’s breakup of a pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of California, Los Angeles, that had previously been attacked by pro-Israel demonstrators; and Thursday’s arrest of 90 people at Dartmouth College.

The survey, by Morning Consult, a U.S.-based business data and tech company, polled 1,986 registered voters nationwide. The reported unweighted margin of error was plus or minus 2 percentage points. 

More voters in the survey backed humanitarian aid for Palestinians (58%) than supported military aid to Israel (47%); 60% said they want to see a ceasefire.

Nearly half — 46% — of those surveyed support colleges condemning Hamas’ attacks on Israel. A third said that colleges should condemn Israel’s war in Gaza.

Fewer than 2 in 5 voters support the student-activists’ call for universities to divest from Israel, while 3 in 10 had no opinion on the matter. Support for divestment was strongest among the wealthiest and most highly educated households, which, Morning Consult pointed out, are the cohorts from which colleges solicit donations. 

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