Poll: Most Democrats say Israel 'a lot' to blame

(JNS) — A new poll reveals deep partisan divisions among American voters regarding responsibility for the escalation of the Middle East conflict, with a majority of Democrats blaming Israel.

The survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, conducted from Oct. 11-14, found that about 60 percent of voters attribute “a lot” of responsibility for the war’s escalation to Hamas, Iran’s government and Hezbollah. Partisan differences emerge regarding Israel’s role, with approximately 60 percent of Democrats saying the Israeli government bears “a lot” of responsibility, compared to only about one-quarter of Republicans.

While approximately half of voters are “extremely” or “very” worried about a broader regional conflict, about 40 percent express significant concern about potential U.S. military involvement. The survey was completed before Israel’s strike on Iranian military installations on Friday.

As former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris compete for Muslim and Jewish voters in crucial swing states like Michigan and Pennsylvania, the Middle East situation has emerged as a key campaign issue.

Regarding U.S. policy options, voters show strong support (55 percent) for economic sanctions against Iran, which could impact its support for Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. However, they remain divided on providing weapons to Israel’s military, with more opposing than supporting direct government funding for Israel’s military operations.

The poll indicates minimal backing for U.S. troop deployment, with about half of voters opposing such action. Only about two in 10 voters support sending U.S. troops to assist Israel, with a similar proportion remaining neutral.

On ceasefire efforts, approximately half of voters believe the United States is doing “about as much as it can” to facilitate agreements between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah. About three in 10 voters think more could be done, while roughly two in 10 suggest less involvement.

The poll surveyed 1,072 adults using NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, designed to represent the U.S. population. For registered voters, the margin of sampling error is plus or minus 4.2 percentage points.