POLL: Majority of Americans support Trump’s handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict
A new poll put out by Harvard Caps/Harris revealed that while the majority of Americans support Trump’s handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict, slightly less than half believe he was serious about his proposal that the U.S. should take over Gaza to redevelop it.
The poll, released on Monday, reported that 54% of voters support Trump’s handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict thus far. 67% of voters have heard of Trump’s proposal that the U.S. should take over Gaza to redevelop it. 47% of voters believe Trump was being serious, and 53% believe he was posturing to start negotiations.
70% of voters believe the U.S. taking over Gaza is a bad idea. 56% of voters oppose removing Palestinians from Gaza to rebuild the territory. 44% back resettling Gazans abroad.
Over 80% of voters believed that Hamas should not be allowed to govern Gaza. Just 22% of respondents say the Islamist terror group should be allowed to rule Gaza.
79% of Americans say Hamas must release all remaining hostages immediately and unconditionally or face “serious consequences.”
On a positive note, support for Israel over Hamas in the conflict remains high, with 77% of voters supporting Israel in the war against Hamas. 43% say they have a favorable view of Israel – including 16% who have a very favorable view – compared to 30% who have a negative view, including 13% who have a very negative view, for a net positive of 13 points.
A partisan gap does exist on the issue, with 85% of Republicans favoring Israel over Hamas compared to just 69% of Democrats and 76% of independents, the most significant predictor was age.
Respondents 18 to 24 were almost evenly divided, with just 54% backing Israel over Hamas, and 46% favoring Hamas over Israel.
By comparison, 93% of respondents over 65 support Israel over Hamas, followed by 86% of respondents aged 55 to 64, 77% of those 45 to 54, 69% of the 35-44 age cohort, and 62% of those ages 25 to 34.
76% of voters say Iran’s nuclear weapons facilities should be destroyed. 57% of voters say the U.S. should support Israel in airstrikes on such facilities. This issue is highly partisan, with 45% of Democrats supporting Israeli airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and 74% of Republicans supporting the airstrikes.
In his first month in office, President Donald Trump’s approval rating is at 52%, with voters most satisfied with his job on immigration, reducing the cost of the government, and returning America to its values. The majority of voters support Trump’s policies on the border, focus on government expenditures, gender, DEI, and offshore drilling but have concerns on his foreign policies involving tariffs, the Israel-Hamas war, and the war in Ukraine.
“People are taking a generally positive wait-and-see attitude for Trump but have really reassessed their attitudes toward Biden, Harris, and the Democrats, taking a much harsher, more negative attitude,” said Mark Penn, Co-Director of the Harvard CAPS / Harris poll and Stagwell Chairman and CEO. “Trump has a real opportunity here – we’re seeing a healthy, trudging approval edging toward real approval based on how the next couple of months turn out.”
42% of voters say the country is on the right track, up 14 points from January. 31% of voters say their personal financial situation is improving (+5), particularly among Republican, male, Black, and urban voters.
72% of voters say they want Ukraine to negotiate a settlement with Russia instead of winning the war. 60% of voters favor Trump announcing direct U.S.-Russia negotiations
The Democratic Party received its lowest approval rating since at least March 2018, with 33% of Democrats, 86% of Republicans, and 70% of Independents disapproving. 49% of voters approve of the Republican Party. 36% of voters approve of Congress.
Inflation and immigration remain the top two issues for voters, with a 6-point increase in concern over corruption.
The February Harvard CAPS / Harris poll survey was conducted online within the United States on February 19-20, 2025, among 2,443 registered voters by The Harris Poll and HarrisX.
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