A growing number of Americans now view Israel in a negative light, according to a new Pew Research Center survey released Tuesday, with 53% expressing an unfavorable opinion of the Jewish state — rising from 42% in March 2022.

The survey also found that confidence in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains low, with just 32% of Americans trusting him to handle world affairs appropriately, while 52% say they have little or no confidence in his leadership.

Partisan divides were evident in the results: 69% of Democrats hold an unfavorable view of Israel, up from 53% in the 2022 survey. Among Republicans, the number of those viewing Israel negatively increased to 37%, compared to 27% three years ago.

The shift has been especially pronounced among younger adults. Among Republicans under 50, views on Israel are now nearly evenly split — 50% negative versus 48% positive. In 2022, 63% of this group viewed Israel favorably, with just 35% holding a negative opinion. Negative views among older Democrats jumped by 23 points over the same period, compared to a 9-point increase among younger Democrats.

Pew also noted waning American interest in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. In January, 65% of Americans said the war was personally important to them. That number has now dropped to 54%.

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