Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s popularity amongst Americans has plummeted in recent months, a new survey by Pew Research Center reveals.
According to the study involving 3,600 US adults, a majority of Americans (53%) have little or no confidence in Netanyahu’s ability to make the right decisions regarding world affairs, with 25% expressing no confidence at all.
The share of Americans with no confidence in the Israeli prime minister has increased by 11 percentage points since 2023, when 42% shared the sentiment. Netanyahu’s handling of world affairs drew “a lot” of confidence from only 9% of US adults in the recent survey, while 21% said they have “some” confidence, a small decline from last year’s 8% and 24%, respectively.
Political alignment plays a significant role in the survey’s findings, with 51% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents indicating confidence in Netanyahu, compared to just 13% of Democrats and Democratic leaners. Age demographics also reveal a divide, with only 13% of Americans under 30 expressing trust in Netanyahu, contrasting with 42% among those aged 50 and older.
The survey also revealed an overall more negative view of the Israeli government, with favorable views dropping from 47% in 2022 to 41% in the current poll. The margin of error for the survey taken between April 1 and 7 is plus or minus 2.1 percentage points.
