Poll: Liberals More Sympathetic to Palestinians Than Conservatives

YERUSHALAYIM (Hamodia Staff) —

Data published by the Pew Research Center on Tuesday showed that liberal Democrats tend to be more sympathetic to the Palestinians and more critical of Israel than Republicans.

Nearly one-third of respondents said that they felt “a lot” of sympathy with Israel while 34 percent said they had “some sympathy.” In contrast, 11% said they have “not much” sympathy while 18% don’t sympathize at all with Israel, a six-percent jump compared to last August (12%).

As for the Palestinians, only 11% have “a lot” of sympathy, 35% have some sympathy, 17% not much and 29% have no sympathy at all.

Political orientation was seen to play a significant role in Americans’ views of the Mideast. Over half of Republicans (51%) express far more sympathy for Israel over the Palestinians; 28% “sympathize some” with Israel; and 17% sympathize “not much” or “not at all.”

Conservative Republicans came out even more pro-Israel, with 62% having “a lot” of sympathy, versus moderate and liberal Republicans, with just one-third voicing “a lot” of sympathy for Israel.

Regarding Democrats, a majority (57%) say they have either some sympathy or a lot of sympathy for Israel (21% “a lot”) while nearly that amount — 54% — express a lot or some sympathy with the Palestinians (16% “a lot”).

Those who identify themselves as liberal Democrats are far more likely to be sympathetic to the Palestinians. According to the poll, 68% of liberal Democrats “have at least some sympathy for the Palestinians (22% a lot). By contrast, just 45% of conservative and moderate Democrats have at least some sympathy for the Palestinians (12% “a lot”).”

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