A new NBC News poll is showing plummeting support for Israel amongst Americans, particularly amongst Democrats and young adults. The study surveyed 1,000 registered voters  between February 27 and March 3. The study found that 40% of respondents sympathized more with Israel while 39% chose Palestinians. Support for Palestinians had tripled from 13% thirteen years ago in a similar NBC poll.

Looking along party lines, the change was most pronounced amongst Democrats from 34% supporting Israel in 2013 to just 17%. Sympathies for Palestinians had more than tripled during that time, rising from 18% to 67%. More than half of Democrats viewed Israel negatively at 60%. Nearly 50% of Independents also viewed Israel negatively at 48%. Republican support had increased slightly during the interim, rising from 67% to 69% in favor of Israel. However, support of Palestinians had also increased, from 8% to 13%. Also, Republicans’ positive view of Israel suffered a drop, falling from 63% in 2023 to 54%.

Younger voters in particular were more likely to view Israel negatively. In 2026, 55% of those aged 65 and up viewed Israel positively, while just 13% of those aged 18-34 did. Both groups experienced drops from 2023 following the October 7 attacks against Israel, falling from 64% and 26% respectively. Younger voters have shown a growing sympathy towards Palestinians, with many anti-Israel protests breaking out at US college campuses.

Republican pollster Bill McInturff of Public Opinion Strategies, which conducted the poll, described the shift as “unrecognizable. “This is unrecognizable in terms of where America was, and the Democratic Party was, for a 20-, 30-year history,” he said. Israel’s response to the October 7 attacks, with images of Gaza blown to rubble and dead Palestinian children, appears to be a major factor in shifting sympathies away from Israel. More than 72,000 people were killed in Gaza, leading to accusations of genocide from Israel’s critics. “Israel may have had major military success in its war against Hamas, but its actions have badly damaged its standing among the American people,” said Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt. Views on Israel could particularly impact upcoming Democratic primaries, as candidates search for a winning message for their party’s shifting views on Israel.

Meanwhile, there are even some breaks amongst Republicans’ views on Israel. Popular former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson has been vocally critical of Israel on is podcast, with some like Ted Cruz accusing him of being antisemitic. “I’ve always thought it’s great to criticize and question our relationship with Israel because it’s insane and it hurts us. We get nothing out of it, I completely agree with you there,” Carlson told white nationalist Nick Fuentes on his podcast. Others have tried conjuring up the ghost of slain conservative Charlie Kirk to their side, with some like Candace Owens claiming Kirk’s support for Israel had been slipping prior to his murder. How Republican support for Israel will be impacted as the war drags on in Iran, remains a key issue for the upcoming mid-terms and beyond.