Eight months after the war between Israel and Hamas, most remain on the side of the Israelis, but to a lesser extent than at the beginning of the conflict, as well as less support for sending financial aid to the Israeli government for its army.
This is according to the latest Fox News poll released Wednesday.
Voters are twice as likely to side with the Israelis (57%) than the Palestinians (29%). This is where sentiment has held over the past few months, but nowhere near the 50-point lead Israel had at the start of the war (68% to 18% in October 2023).
ISRAEL ON THE BALLOT IN WESTCHESTER AS ACTIVISTS BEAT THE 'SQUAD' HOLDER AMID AN INFORMED PHOTO CONTRIBUTOR
The decline in support for Israelis is widespread, but voters 65 and older (-18 points), Democrats (-17), non-white voters (-15), and women (-12) are the main forces drivers.
Voters are also now less likely to favor sending financial aid to the Israeli government to support its military. Just over half (52%) are in favor of sending money, 8 points less than in November 2023, when 60% were in favor of sending funds.
That drop is also widespread, but most notable among liberal voters (-14 points), Democrats (-12), independents (-11), voters with a college degree (-10), and suburban voters (-10). .
NETANYAHU URGES ADMINISTRATIVE TO RENEW SUPPLY OF ARMS TO ISRAEL, SAYS IT'S 'INCONCIBABLE' FOR US TO WITHHOLD AID
Overall, 44% oppose sending financial aid to the Israeli military.
The war between Israel and Hamas, President Biden and the 2024 presidential race
On a list of 10 issues, the Middle East conflict comes last, and about 3 in 10 say the war will be “extremely” important to their vote in November (32%). This figure falls far short of important issues such as the future of American democracy (68%) and the economy (66%).
Those who say the conflict is extremely important to their vote prefer Trump in the straight vote by 14 points and are more likely to trust Trump than Biden to handle the conflict by 20 points.
Among voters overall, that margin is much smaller: 49% trust Trump to handle the war compared to 45% who trust Biden.
“Despite being a minor issue, the Middle East conflict is extremely important to a small electorate and could have consequences in a close race,” says Democratic pollster Chris Anderson, who is conducting the Fox News poll with Republican Daron Shaw. “Sometimes a candidate or party's advantage on a constellation of lower-level issues can cancel out a disadvantage on larger issues, which is why Democrats did better than expected in the 2022 midterms. “.
For the first time since August 2023, President Biden bested former President Trump in a hypothetical matchup, earning 50% support to Trump's 48%. It's the same story, but with a 1-point advantage in the race between five candidates: 43% Biden, 42% Trump, 10% Robert F. Kennedy Jr., 2% Cornel West and 2% Jill Stein.
In the bilateral confrontation, those who side with the Israelis go for Trump by 29 points, while those who side with the Palestinians go for Biden by a much larger margin of 54 points.
By a 31-point margin, more voters disapprove (63%) than approve (32%) of Biden's handling of the war between Israel and Hamas. Majorities of Republicans (85%) and independents (60%) disapprove of his work in the war, as do 4 in 10 Democrats (41%).
Their scores are slightly better, but still below the expected level, on immigration (-28 points), inflation (-25 points) and economy (-17 points).
“There have been a lot of rumors about discontent on the left over the president's handling of the conflict between Israel and Hamas,” Shaw says. “Whatever concerns you have, it is not hurting Biden in the electoral test. However, I think the real danger is that the continued conflict in the Middle East and in Ukraine contributes to the broader perception that Biden has not provided the kind of stability and normality that he promised.”
Regarding his overall job performance, 45% approve of Biden's job performance while 55% disapprove, the same as last month.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Conducted June 14-17, 2024 under the joint direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News poll includes interviews with a sample of 1,095 registered voters randomly selected from a voter file national. Respondents spoke to live interviewers via landlines (130) and cell phones (700) or completed the survey online after receiving a text message (265). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. The sampling error associated with subgroup results is greater. In addition to sampling error, the wording and order of the questions can influence the results. Weights are generally applied to the age, race, education, and area variables to ensure that the demographics of respondents are representative of the population of registered voters. Sources for developing compelling targets include the American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis, and voter file data.
