Poll: Americans View Israel, Netanyahu Positively
JERUSALEM, Israel – A Gallup Poll released the day before President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's meeting at the White House showed that about seven in 10 Americans view Israel and its prime minister favorably.
According to the poll, 71 percent of Americans have a favorable outlook on Israel, compared to 27 percent with an unfavorable view. This is the fourth year in a row that Israel's favorable rating has been 70 percent or higher.
As part Gallup's World Affairs survey conducted every February, this year's results showed 29 percent of Americans view Israel very favorably, 42 percent mostly favorably, 21 percent mostly unfavorably and 6 percent very unfavorably. Only 8 percent of respondents were neutral on the Jewish state.
Demographically, Israel fares better among Republicans, with 81 percent holding a favorable view and 77 percent of seniors (age 65 or older) also favorable toward the Jewish state. A majority of Democrats, 61 percent, have a favorable view of Israel, though the pollster says that percentage is the lowest among major subgroups.
Netanyahu, meanwhile, has a 49 percent favorable rating among American adults, significantly lower than among Israelis. Some 30 percent of respondents hold an unfavorable view of Israel's prime minister.
The poll is based on a random sample of 1,035 adults from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. There is a plus or minus 4 percent margin of error.
