June 2025 Pew Research Center Surveys on Israel

July 1, 2025

By Maya Rezak

Divided at home and condemned abroad, public opinion of Israel sinks in response to war and domestic politics.

The Pew Research Center in June 2025 published the results of surveys of Israeli public opinion on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and global views of Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Domestically, 58% of the 998 Israelis surveyed said Israel is not respected around the world. That belief was supported by the fact that majorities in 20 of the 24 countries covered in the second survey had unfavorable views of Israel — including countries with historically close ties to Israel, such as the United States, Germany and Brazil. At least three-quarters of those surveyed held unfavorable views of Israel in six countries: Turkey (93%), Indonesia (80%), Japan (79%), the Netherlands (78%), Spain (75%) and Sweden (75%). Age and ideological leaning both affected an individual’s likelihood of viewing Israel negatively, with younger and left-leaning people more likely to have unfavorable views. The ideology gap was largest in Australia and the United States.

The other 15 countries surveyed are Canada, Greece, Italy, France, Poland, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Australia, South Korea, India, South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Mexico and Argentina.

Unfavorable views have increased since surveys in 2013 and 2022, demonstrating the effect of October 7 and the ensuing war on global attitudes toward Israel. October 7 has also changed public opinion within Israel. The new survey found that only 21% of Israelis think that Israel and a Palestinian state can peacefully coexist, a 14-point decrease since before the war.

Trust in Netanyahu and his government has diminished domestically and globally. In most countries, two-thirds of the respondents had no confidence in Netanyahu, with Kenya and Nigeria being the only exceptions. Kenya (50%) and Nigeria (59%) were also the only countries among the 24 surveyed where at least half the people had favorable views of Israel. India (34% favorable, 29% unfavorable) and Argentina (46% unfavorable, 26% favorable) did not have a majority either way on Israel.

The lack of confidence in Netanyahu is also prevalent within Israel, with the majority of Israelis having an unfavorable view of him. Netanyahu’s unfavorability is higher among younger and ideologically left-leaning respondents. But the survey also found that over half of Israelis view opposition leaders Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid negatively.

“I think there’s been a concerted effort to spread vilifications and demonization against Israel in social media,” Netanyahu told reporters at the U.S. Capitol on July 8, 2025, when asked about lagging support for Israel. “It’s directed. It’s funded. It is malignant, and we intend to fight it. Because nothing defeats lies like the truth, and we shall spread the truth for everyone to see. Once people are exposed to the facts, we win, hands down. That’s what we intend to do in the coming months and years.”

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, meanwhile, had an 85% unfavorability among Israelis. This negative view of the PA leadership aligns with a majority of Israelis believing that the PA is not committed to peace, and only 21% of the surveyed Israelis said coexistence is possible. This issue is one with a large disparity between Jewish and Arab Israelis, as 40% of Israeli Arabs, compared with 16% of Israeli Jews, said coexistence is possible.

Jewish and Arab Israelis also are divided on which issues are the main obstacles to peace. While Jewish Israelis see the lack of trust between Israelis and Palestinians as the main obstacle, Israeli Arabs view settlements, Jerusalem, and the divide between Hamas and Fatah as more significant. Israelis overall are nearly evenly divided on whether their own government is committed to peace. However, 72% said Hamas is not committed to peace, and only 1% said Hamas should continue to govern Gaza after the war.

Pew found significant divisions among Israelis by ideology and religious identification. Israelis on the right were significantly more supportive of the current government, the most right-wing coalition in Israeli history. On the other hand, those on the left were more likely to say that the Palestinian people or leaders are committed to peace. Over three-quarters of Israelis on the left said West Bank settlements hurt security, while 72% on the ideological right held the opposite view. Similarly, 78% of Haredim or religious Israelis said settlements help Israeli security, compared with only 27% of secular Israelis.