September 1, 2025

Dr. Kenneth Stein, Center for Israel Education

Fifteen major, polling-based conclusions about American public opinion on Hamas and Israel from the Harvard Center for American Political Studies (CAPS)-Harris poll taken Aug. 20 and 21, 2025, plus an attitudinal comparison of same or related questions over the period 2015 to 2025.

The most essential finding is that in August 2025, 18- to 24-year-old Americans tilt 60% to 40% toward Hamas, while support for Israel has risen to 89% among seniors.

Partisanship runs through the past decade: Republicans have consistently shown stronger pro-Israel attitudes and higher support for military aid, while Democrats have been more divided, often still siding with Israel overall but being more skeptical of Israeli operations and more supportive of cease-fire conditions. That gap is visible in 2024’s side-taking (Democrats 76% vs. Republicans 85% for Israel) and becomes sharper by August 2025 on specific judgments, such as Israel’s conduct, aid and famine responsibility.

Some key findings in August 2025, in which respondents had to choose one side or the other:

  • Americans overall back Israel over Hamas, recognized as a terrorist organization by the United States and many other governments, by a roughly 3-to-1 margin (74% Israel, 26% Hamas). A month earlier, Israel had 77% support.
  • An even larger share (78%) supports the position that Hamas must release all remaining hostages without conditions or face serious consequences, down from 80% in July. The other 22% of respondents disagree.
  • Partisanship matters — Support for Israel is 82% among Republicans, 74% among independents and 67% among Democrats; the remainder in each group sides with Hamas.
  • Age divisions are stark — Americans ages 18 to 24 side with Hamas over Israel, 60% to 40%, while Israel has majority support in every older age group. The percentage for Israel rises steadily with age, reaching 89% among those 65 and older.
  • On a proposed deal for the remaining hostages, 58% say Israel should agree only if Hamas leaves Gaza, while 42% would make a deal even if Hamas remains.
  • On that same question, 54% of Democrats would make a deal that leaves Hamas in place, while 67% of Republicans and 58% of independents require Hamas’ exit.
  • Favorability ratings — Israel is a net plus-8 positive (42% favorable, 34% unfavorable). The Palestinian Authority is minus-29 (16% favorable, 45% unfavorable), and Hamas is deeply negative at minus-53 (9% favorable, 61% unfavorable).
  • Evaluation of wartime conduct is split for Israel (49% approve, 51% disapprove).
  • By contrast, 77% disapprove of Hamas’ conduct, and 23% approve.
  • Famine in Gaza is real according to 69%.
  • Among those assigning blame for that famine, 61% say Hamas is mainly responsible, compared with 39% pointing to Israel. The blame for Hamas climbs with age to 70% for 55- to 64-year-olds and 71% among those 65 and older.
  • Voters are evenly split on what motivates criticism of Israel in this war — 49% say antisemitism, and 51% say concern for Palestinian human rights.
  • Americans are split 50-50 on whether Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
  • Majorities support U.S. military aid to Israel — 57% for offensive aid and 60% for defensive aid.
  • In the wider regional frame, Americans support Israel over Iran, 78% to 22%.

Succinct Synthesis

The August 2025 Harvard-Harris data show thar Americans remain broadly pro-Israel and anti-Hamas. Nationally, three-quarters back Israel over Hamas and demand an unconditional hostage release. But there are differences by party — Republicans (82%) and independents (74%) back Israel more than do Democrats (67%) — by age,with 60% of 18- to 24-year-olds favoring Hamas while 89% of those 65 and older backing Israel.

On a hostage deal, a majority of Democrats (54%) are open to an agreement that leaves Hamas in place, whereas most Republicans (67%) and independents (58%) insist that Hamas go.

On perceptions, Israel’s image is modestly positive (42% favorable, 34% unfavorable), while Hamas (9%, 61%) and the Palestinian Authority (16%, 45%) are deeply underwater. Views on Israel’s conduct are split (49% approve, 51% disapprove) but overwhelmingly negative on Hamas (77% disapprove). While 69% of respondents believe that Gaze is experiencing a famine, 61% blame Hamas rather than Israel.

Opinions are evenly divided on whether criticism of Israel is driven more by antisemitism or human rights concerns (49% to 51%) and on the genocide allegation itself (a 50-50 split). Policy preferences remain supportive of Israel: Majorities favor both offensive (57%) and defensive (60%) U.S. military aid, and respondents back Israel over Iran by 78% to 22%.

Some earlier Harvard CAPS-Harris results from comparable, though not always identical, questions asked of the U.S. public:

  • In 2018, 49% blamed Hamas for violence around Gaza border protests, compared with 22% blaming Israel and 29% point to the United States, indicating a baseline of public assignment of responsibility to Hamas for Gaza violence.
  • Soon after the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack, poll respondents overwhelmingly sided with Israel over Hamas, 84% to 16%; labeled Hamas terrorists, about 79%; and said Israel was justified in eliminating the Hamas government, 79%. And 62% said America should stand with Israel.
  • By December 2023, the overall support gap remained large — 81% for Israel vs. 19% for Hamas — but only 50% of 18- to 24-year-olds sided with Israel.
  • In December 2023, three-quarters said Hamas, not Israel, was primarily responsible both for putting civilians in harm’s way (75%) and for triggering the humanitarian crisis in Gaza (73%).
  • Support for a two-state solution was the most popular long-term outcome in December 2023 (60%), showing that pro-Israel sentiment does not preclude support for Palestinian statehood.
  • By October 2024, Israel retained an 81%-to-19% support edge over Hamas, though a persistent if not absolute partisan gap existed — 76% for Israel among Democrats, 85% among Republicans and 80% among independents.
  • Also in October 2024, 68% backed a cease-fire conditioned on the release of hostages and the removal of Hamas from power, consistent with December 2023’s findings.
  • The partisan gap intensified by August 2025 across multiple items, including approval of Israel’s conduct (31% for Democrats, 71% for Republicans), support for offensive military aid (44% for Democrats, 74% for Republicans) and saying Hamas is mainly responsible for famine in Gaza (50% of Democrats and 74% of Republicans).

Decade-Long Trends

Taken together, the broad trends since 2015 are durable rejection of Hamas, persistent but moderating pro-Israel alignment, rising humanitarian conditionality, and increasing partisan and generational splits — with Republicans more supportive of Israel and Democrats, especially younger ones, more conflicted.

Across Harvard CAPS-Harris polling since 2015, Americans have consistently held strongly unfavorable views of Hamas and, whenever asked to choose, have overwhelmingly sided with Israel over Hamas. The 2018 question about blame related to Gaza border protests showed a plurality pinning responsibility on Hamas rather than Israel or the United States, a pattern that re-emerged more strongly after Oct. 7, 2023, when poll respondents labeled Hamas terrorists, supported Israel’s effort to dismantle Hamas and favored the U.S. standing with Israel.

From late 2023 into 2024, overall support for Israel stayed high (around 4-to-1 over Hamas) but coexisted with two important qualifiers. First, the generational divide widened — young adults were far less likely than their parents and grandparents to side with Israel. Second, Americans favored a conditional cease-fire and primarily blamed Hamas for civilian harm and the humanitarian crisis. Those results indicated support for Israel against Hamas and an expectation of humanitarian safeguards in any de-escalation. By August 2025, views had not flipped but had become more complex. Israel’s institutional favorability was a net positive, the PA’s was a net negative, and Hamas’ was deeply negative. Majorities still favored U.S. aid to Israel and mostly blamed Hamas for famine in Gaza. Yet approval of Israel’s conduct sat near evenly split, reflecting growing tactical scrutiny even as