Where do Americans stand on the war in Gaza?

The war in Gaza has been going on for nearly seven months. But tensions have never been higher in the United States.

Over the past few weeks, pro-Palestine protests across U.S. college campuses—including, for example, Columbia University and UCLA—and the subsequent shutdowns of theses protests have riled the nation on an already-divisive subject.

With all this going on, where do Americans stand on the issue? Below are five charts on how Americans are feeling about Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.

1. Deeply divided. Americans are far from a consensus when it comes to how to handle both Israel and protecting Palestinian civilians. When it comes to domestic politics, America right now is living in two different realities. The war in Gaza is no exception.
2. Slight opinion shift. Compared to earlier this year, more Americans feel the U.S. is doing too much to support Israel in its war with Hamas. Other than that, opinions are mostly stable.
3. Electoral implications? When it comes to voting, the war in Gaza isn’t a top priority for most Americans. Democrats are the most likely to say the war may influence who they support this November, while independents are among the least likely. What does this mean for Trump and Biden? We will see.
4. The youths are not happy. Youth discontent with their options this election has been long documented. The war appears to be another flashpoint of their discontent. That said, many of these younger Americans aren’t more likely to say the war will influence their likelihood to vote and may not have been likely voters to begin with.
5. Do the college protests reflect the voice of young Americans? Over the past few weeks, many college students have been protesting. Indeed, the numbers reflect that younger Democrats feel the U.S. is doing too little to help protect Palestinian civilians, though younger independents and Republicans see things differently.

In an era of deep divisions, the Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza appears to be yet another issue where Americans are hard-pressed to find common ground.

Younger, more progressive Americans on college campuses who have been extremely vocal on the subject in the last few months seem to be particularly disillusioned by the U.S. response to the war in Gaza. They were also central to Biden’s victory in 2020. Will Biden’s response to the student protests hemorrhage his support here? We will see.