Washington, DC — Once upon the public conscience, most Americans leaned towards the familiar arc of sympathy: Israel, with its storied resonance in the US cultural memory.

That arc appears to be bending.

In a recent poll by the University of Maryland (UMD), a leading research institution, 28 percent of Americans said they now sympathise more with Palestinians. In comparison, only 22 percent feel more inclined toward Israelis.

A surprising 26 percent hold a Platonic balance, sympathising with both sides equally, while 12 percent say "neither". The rest remain unsure.

Among the young — the famed "18-to-34 cohort"— the shift feels seismic. It is both raw and urgent.

A whopping 37 percent sympathise more with Palestinians, while 11 percent side with Israelis. 19 percent lean equally.

A generational rift

The poll fielded by SSRS (Social Science Research Solutions) via the SSRS Opinion Panel from July 29 – August 7, 2025, and released on August 25, highlights a widening gap among Republicans. 

Among those aged 35 and older, 52 percent of Republicans say they sympathise more with Israelis. But among Republicans under 35, only 24 percent say the same.

The split is visible on policy, too. Nationally, 40 percent of Americans say the US approach to the conflict is "too pro-Israel," while 27 percent think it is "about right," and 30 percent are unsure.

Among Democrats, nearly two-thirds (63 percent) view Trump administration's stance as overly pro-Israel.

Among Republicans, a majority (57 percent) say the policy is "about right." But the age gap is stark: older Republicans are 49 points more likely to view the policy as balanced than tilted, while for younger Republicans, the margin drops to just 14 points.

Genocide or self-defence

On Israel's genocide in Gaza, 41 percent of Americans — 67 percent of Democrats but only 14 percent of Republicans — call it either "genocide" (22 percent) or "akin to genocide" (19 percent).

By contrast, 22 percent — 46 percent of Republicans but just 7 percent of Democrats — defend Israel, saying its genocide is "justified under the right to self-defence." Another 23 percent are unsure.

Among younger Americans, the gulf widens: 47 percent say the Israeli military's actions in Gaza amount to genocide or close to it.

A year ago, the balance looked different: in August 2024, 23 percent of Americans called the actions genocide or akin to it, while 28 percent described them as justified.

"A remarkable shift in American attitudes toward Israel and Palestine, apparently driven by Israel's genocidal conduct in Gaza and endless settlement expansion (and apartheid) in the occupied West Bank," Kenneth Roth, a former Human Rights Watch executive director, who teaches at Princeton now, posted on X.

Role of US support

A majority, 61 percent, say US military, economic, and diplomatic support enables Israeli carnage in Gaza, with 34 percent saying it does so strongly and 27 percent somewhat.

Just 12 percent think US backing has little or no impact; 26 percent don't know.

The view crosses party lines: 72 percent of Democrats, 57 percent of Republicans, 63 percent of independents agree.

Asked whose interests US policy serves, only about a third — 34 percent of Republicans, 36 percent of Democrats, 32 percent of independents — say it advances US interests.

Another 25 percent believe it mostly advances Israeli interests, 6 percent point to Arab states, and 31 percent are unsure.

Among Americans under 35, the split narrows: 27 percent say American policy advances US interests; 26 percent say Israel's. Younger Republicans are slightly more likely to say it serves Israel (26 percent) than the US (24 percent).

"After Oct 7, 2023, there was enormous global sympathy for Israel," said writer and columnist Nicholas Kristof.

"Netanyahu took that and through his brutality in Gaza ended up triggering what appears to be a historic shift in American attitudes toward the Middle East, so that people are now more sympathetic to Palestinians."

In line with other surveys

The findings by UMD, part of the Public Ivies, point to a broader trend. While recent Gallup and YouGov polls show sympathy for Palestinians is rising in the US, the University of Maryland survey is the first to find a national plurality leaning towards Palestinians over Israelis.

With a margin of error of ±2.9 points, the poll that included a series of questions related to the Israeli-Palestinian issue also shows the share of Americans calling Israeli actions genocide climbing from 23 percent a year ago to 41 percent now.

The latest UMD figures, however, reveal a generational shift that could reshape how Americans debate US policy in the Middle East.