Majority of Republicans support US joining Israel-Iran conflict while majority of Democrats oppose
The new Quinnipiac University poll also found that the number of voters who say the U.S. is too supportive of Israel reached an all-time high
Voters cast their ballots at a polling station inside the Galleria at the Sunset Mall in Las Vegas, Nov. 5, 2024. (David Becker/Getty Images)
(JTA) — In the days following the United States’ strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, the majority of American voters opposed the U.S. joining Israel in its military campaign against the country, according to a new poll released Wednesday by Quinnipiac University.
The poll also recorded an all-time high of voters who believe that the United States is too supportive of Israel.
The poll, which was conducted from June 22 to June 24, found that 42% of American voters supported the United States joining Israel in military strikes against Iranian nuclear sites while 51% opposed it.
The new poll also found that opinions over the conflict were largely drawn over party lines, with 81% of Republicans supporting the United State’s strikes while 75% of Democrats and 60% of independents opposed it.
“No ambivalence from Republicans on the U.S. bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites. By a large margin, GOP voters give full-throated support to the mission,” said Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy in a statement.
The polling results come two days after President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, bringing 12 days of fire between the countries to a halt. But as the conflict between the two countries simmers down, the question remains whether the goal of Israel and the United States’ attacks — to devastate Iran’s nuclear program — was achieved.
Quinnipiac said the number of voters who say the U.S. is too supportive of Israel is the highest since it began posing the question in 2017. Over all, 42 percent of voters think the U.S. is too supportive of Israel, while 5 percent think the U.S. is not supportive enough of Israel. Forty-five percent think the U.S. support of Israel is about right.
In 2023, by contrast, 20 percent thought the U.S. is too supportive of Israel. Two years earlier 29 percent thought the U.S. was too supportive of Israel.
That figure also breaks along party lines. Among Republicans, 15% said that the United States was too supportive of Israel while 75% said its support was “about right.” In contrast, 63% of Democrats and 47% of independents thought the United States is too supportive of Israel.
The new findings underscore a recent downturn in the way American voters view Israel, which has taken a substantial hit during Israel’s ongoing conflict in Gaza. Earlier this month, another Quinnipiac poll found that sympathy for Israelis had dropped among Republican and Democratic voters.
It also found that half of voters support Israel’s military strikes against nuclear and military sites inside Iran. Among Democrats, 60% opposed Israel’s strikes while 80% of Republicans and 46% of independents supported them.
The new poll also surveyed voters on whether they felt that the U.S. military strikes targeting Iran’s nuclear program would make Americans less safe. It found that 80% of Republicans think they would make Americans safer, while 76% of Democrats and 58% of independents felt they would make Americans less safe.
The survey included 979 self-identified registered voters nationwide and had a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points.
