Two new national polls are shedding light on rising safety concerns among Jewish Americans and shifting attitudes toward Israel and Hamas since the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack.
According to an AP-NORC poll, approximately 6 in 10 Jewish adults in the United States report feeling less safe as Jews than they did before the Hamas attack on Israel. That number climbs even higher among those who identify as religiously Jewish, with roughly 7 in 10 expressing the same concern.
The survey also found that about 4 in 10 Jewish respondents said they are now less inclined to wear, carry, or display anything that identifies them as Jewish. Meanwhile, nearly 3 in 10 said that they or someone in their household had experienced some form of antisemitic incident over the past year — including physical assault, verbal abuse, online harassment, or property damage.
Around 6 in 10 Jewish adults described prejudice against Jews as an “extremely” or “very” serious problem in the United States. Those with strong emotional ties to Israel were even more likely to hold that view.
The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research conducted its survey between June 11 and 17, 2026, questioning 3,040 American adults through NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel.
A second survey, conducted by the Pew Research Center, found that 13% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 hold a favorable opinion of Hamas. While that figure is down from 18% the previous year and 14% in 2024, it still reflects notable support for the designated terrorist organization among younger Americans.
Overall, 13% of Democrats and 6% of Republicans expressed favorable views of Hamas. Breaking it down further by age and party, one in six young Democrats — those between 18 and 29 — viewed Hamas favorably, compared with one in nine young Republicans.
Among religious groups, favorable views of Hamas were highest among Muslims at 44%, a seven-point increase from 2024. Support was lowest among Jewish respondents at 2% and white evangelical Protestants at 4%.
The Pew data also showed a broader decline in favorable views of Israel. The share of Americans holding an unfavorable opinion of the Israeli people jumped from 25% in 2022 to 42%, while favorable views dropped from 67% to 52%. Negative views of the Israeli government rose even more sharply, climbing from 43% in 2022 to 62%.
Among Americans under 30, 58% said they sympathize more with Palestinians compared to 32% who sided with Israelis. Among young Democrats specifically, 72% expressed pro-Palestinian views while 26% were pro-Israeli.
The Pew Research Center surveyed 12,574 American adults in May, with a margin of error of 1.3%.
