US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold a press conference after meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, US, Dec. 29, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

A growing plurality of Americans believe that their government should be less supportive of Israel, a new poll has found, highlighting a sharp divide in public opinion over Washington’s closest ally in the Middle East.

According to the latest Quinnipiac University survey, which was released on Wednesday, 48 percent of registered voters believe the US is “too supportive” of Israel, the highest level recorded since Quinnipiac first began asking the question in 2017. Meanwhile, 38 percent of respondents say that US support is “about right,” and just 7 percent think it is not supportive enough.

The results point to a deeply polarized electorate, with attitudes toward Israel sharply split along partisan lines.

Among Democrats, 66 percent say the US is too supportive of Israel, compared with 18 percent who say support is about right and 9 percent who believe Washington is not supportive enough.

Independents also lean toward skepticism, with 55 percent saying that US support for Israel is too high and 34 percent believing it is just right.

These findings fit with broader polling trends which indicate the Democratic Party has soured on Israel in the past two and a half years, following Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel and amid the Jewish state’s military response in Gaza.

Republicans generally take the opposite view. Nearly seven in ten GOP voters, or 69 percent, say that US support for Israel is about right. By comparison, only 20 percent say that it is too supportive, and 6 percent say it is not supportive enough.

Despite growing criticism in some segments of the electorate, supporters of the US-Israel relationship note that Republican backing remains strong and that Israel continues to be viewed in such circles as a key strategic ally in a volatile region.

The poll also measured views of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, finding a largely unfavorable national impression. Just 20 percent of US voters say they view Netanyahu favorably, while 48 percent hold an unfavorable view. Another 30 percent say they have not heard enough about him to form an opinion.

Partisan differences on the Israeli premier are pronounced. Forty-six percent of Republicans view Netanyahu favorably, compared with just 5 percent of Democrats. Among independents, 15 percent express a favorable view while 51 percent view him unfavorably.

While opinions on Israel are increasingly divided, concern about Iran’s nuclear program remains broadly shared across the electorate. A majority of Americans, 61 percent, continue to believe Iran is likely to develop nuclear weapons in the coming years, the poll found, reflecting sustained anxiety over regional security and nuclear proliferation.

That concern has helped maintain strong support among Republicans for a more assertive US posture in the region, including close coordination with Israel on deterrence and intelligence efforts. At the same time, Democrats and independents are more likely to question military escalation, even as they acknowledge the perceived threat posed by Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Overall, 60 percent of voters think the US military action against Iran was not worth it, according to the poll, compared to 34 percent who say Operation Epic Fury was worth it.

The partisan breakdown reveals Democrats (93 – 4 percent) and independents (66 – 29 percent) overwhelmingly believe the campaign was not worth it, while Republicans (75 – 17 percent) are generally supportive.

As for US President Donald Trump’s memorandum of understanding with Iran to halt the war, 59 percent of voters are either not very confident (19 percent) or not confident at all (40 percent) that it will work. Meanwhile, 37 percent are either very confident (11 percent) or somewhat confident (26 percent) that the deal will succeed.