As the war between Israel and Hamas continues, an overwhelming majority of voters are concerned that the conflict in the Middle East could spread into a broader war, according to new polling this week.
A Quinnipiac University poll found that 85% of voters — 49% very concerned and 36% somewhat concerned — worried that the war could escalate, while only 13% were either not so concerned (8%) or not concerned at all (5%).
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The majority of voters surveyed, 76%, also said that supporting Israel is in the national interest of the U.S. When broken down by party affiliation, there was still high support for Israel with 84% of Republicans, 76% of Democrats, and 74% of independents saying supporting Israel is in the national interest of the nation.
In the wake of Hamas launching a surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, more than half of voters, 64%, approved of the U.S. sending weapons and military equipment to Israel. Republicans at 79% were more likely than Democrats at 59% and independents at 61% to support sending weapons to Israel. Some progressives have called for a ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, citing innocent civilian deaths as part of their reasoning. But these progressives, including members of the House Democratic "Squad," have been slammed for allegedly engaging in antisemitism.
Younger voters were more likely to oppose sending weapons to Israel. Fifty-one percent of voters between ages 18-34 disapproved of sending weapons while more than half of voters, 59%, between ages 35-49 approved of sending weapons, as did 77% of voters between ages 50-64 and 78% of voters 65 years of age and over.
A little more than half of voters, 52%, said the U.S. support of Israel is about right, 20% think the U.S. is not supportive enough of Israel, and 20% think the U.S. is too supportive of Israel. A majority of voters, 72%, placed the blame for the current crisis on Hamas, while 10% blamed Israel, 6% placed culpability on both sides, and 12% didn't offer an opinion.
"With young voters the exception, there is overwhelming support for making sure Israel has the arms it needs," said Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy. "Which side is to blame for the spiraling crisis? No ambivalence there ... it is Hamas, say registered voters, who deeply worry the conflict could metastasize and consume the Middle East."
President Joe Biden is currently in Israel as the White House reportedly weighs a $100 billion request for the key American ally and Ukraine. His main opponent in the GOP presidential primary, former President Donald Trump, warned this week that the Middle East crisis could escalate into a global conflict. "The one thing that we really have to be careful of is World War Three because we're right on the cusp of World War Three," Trump said at an Adel, Iowa, campaign rally on Monday.
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As Congress continues to struggle to elect a speaker of the House, nearly two-thirds of voters, 65%, said supporting Ukraine is in the national interest of the U.S. and only 28% said it wasn't in the nation's interest to support Ukraine. Democrats were overwhelmingly more likely to say support for Ukraine was of national interest to the U.S. at 87% than independents at 63% and Republicans, who were divided. Only 49% of Republicans said supporting Ukraine is in the national interest of the U.S. and 44% said it wasn't in the interest of the U.S.
Whoever is elected House speaker will likely have to navigate a difficult struggle of keeping the government funded past Nov. 17 and figuring out whether to approve a financial aid package to both Israel and Ukraine.
The Quinnipiac University poll surveyed 1,552 self-identified registered voters nationwide from Oct. 12-16 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.