AP-NORC poll finds sharp age divide among U.S. Jewish adults over Israel and Gaza
A national AP-NORC poll released July 13 found a pronounced age divide among U.S. Jewish adults over Israel, Gaza and the role of support for Israel in Jewish identity.
Thirty-seven percent of Jewish adults under 45 said Israel had committed genocide in Gaza, compared with 23% of those ages 45 and older. Among Jewish adults overall, 30% said Israel’s military actions in Gaza constituted genocide, while 49% said they did not.
The findings come as views of Israel’s conduct, the war in Gaza and antisemitism continue to shape debates within Jewish communities and across American politics. The survey also found differences by religiosity in views of Jewish identity and Israel.
Generational differences over identity
Support for Israel remains an important part of Jewish identity for many respondents, but it was not shared equally across age groups. Fifty percent of Jewish adults said being a supporter of Israel as a Jewish state was extremely or very important to their Jewish identity.
By comparison, 21% said being a supporter of an independent Palestinian state was extremely or very important to their Jewish identity. The results show that Jewish identity questions are not limited to a single position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The poll found that younger and older Jewish adults alike regarded remembering the Holocaust as important to Jewish identity. That shared view stood alongside the age differences over Israel and Gaza, suggesting that some elements of identity remain broadly common even as political and national questions divide respondents.
The survey’s use of the term “genocide” reflects respondents’ views. It is not, by itself, a legal determination by a court or international tribunal.
Concerns about antisemitism and political support
The AP-NORC findings also pointed to widespread concern about antisemitism. Seventy-seven percent of Jewish adults said prejudice against Jewish people had increased since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The related AP-NORC findings described prejudice against Jewish people as a very or extremely serious problem for most Jewish adults.
At the same time, relatively few respondents said either major political party supported Jewish people extremely or very well. Fifteen percent gave that rating to the Democratic Party, while 16% gave it to the Republican Party.
Those numbers indicate dissatisfaction that crosses party lines, although the poll does not establish that Jewish adults share the same reasons for their assessments. The results also do not show that younger Jewish adults uniformly oppose Israel or support one particular U.S. policy.
How the survey was conducted
AP-NORC interviewed 3,040 U.S. adults from June 11 through June 17, 2026, including 1,022 Jewish adults. The sample was drawn from NORC at the University of Chicago’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to represent the U.S. population.
The percentages are survey estimates based on the respondents who participated, not a count of all Jewish adults in the United States. The Jewish-adult results provide a national snapshot of views on identity, Israel, Gaza, political parties and antisemitism at the time of the interviews.
The central pattern is a community divided by age and, in some areas, religiosity. Younger Jewish adults were more likely than older adults to describe Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide, while older adults were more likely to place support for Israel at the center of Jewish identity. Both groups, however, continued to identify remembering the Holocaust as an important part of Jewish identity.
Sources
- Among American Jews, views on Jewish identity and Israel vary by religiosity, AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research
- The June 2026 AP-NORC Center Poll: Topline Results, AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research
- Support for Israel isn't a high priority for younger Jewish Americans, an AP-NORC poll finds, The Associated Press
- Most Jewish Americans think antisemitism is a serious problem that has escalated in recent years, AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research
- Few Jewish adults feel supported by the major political parties or the president, AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research
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