MINNEAPOLIS — It's been nearly nine months since Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israelis living near the border with the Gaza Strip, prompting Israel to respond in what's become an ongoing war.
The events overseas have sparked protests in the U.S. and college campuses, and could have an influence on the 2024 presidential election.
SUPPORT FOR ISRAELI MILITARY ACTION
A new KARE 11/MPR News/Star Tribune Minnesota Poll finds registered likely voters are mixed in their opinions on the Israeli military response in Gaza. The poll found 44% of respondents disapprove of Israel's actions, while 40.8% approve, and more than 15% are unsure.
Political affiliation had a significant influence on responses to this question, with 72.3% of Republicans approving of Israeli military action, compared to 15.2% of Democrats and 38.3% of independents. Meanwhile, 71.3% of Democrats did not approve of the Israeli response in Gaza, compared to 18.5% of Republicans and 39% of independents. White voters were nearly evenly split (42.8% approve to 41.9% disapprove), while a majority of non-white voters (58.8%) disapproved over those who approved (27.5%).
SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL
The Minnesota Poll also asked voters their thoughts on the level of U.S. support for Israel during the war with Hamas, whether it is too much, too little, or just the right amount.
No answer received a majority of the response; a plurality of respondents (37.4%) said they believe the U.S. is providing the right amount of support for Israel, while 32.4% said it is "too much" and 20% said it is "too little." A little more than 10% responded that they weren't sure.
There was less political division in this response; about 43.3% of Democrats, 32.9% of Republicans, and 35.3% of independents said U.S. support is the right amount. There were 36.9% of Democrats, 29.3% of Republicans, and 30.5% of independents who said the U.S. is doing too much, while 35.7% of Republicans, 17.5% of independents, and 8.5% of Democrats believe the U.S. isn't doing enough.
SUPPORT FOR PALESTINIAN CIVILIANS
The poll also asked voters a similar question about their feelings concerning U.S. support for Palestinian civilians during the Israel-Hamas war.
On this question, voters were more likely to say the U.S. is providing the right amount of support for Palestinian civilians (35.8%) or not enough support (34.1%). Just 18% said the U.S. is doing too much, while 12.1% said they weren't sure.
Very few Democrats felt the U.S. is doing too much (1.4%) compared to 34.9% of Republicans and 19.7% of independent voters. A plurality of Democrats (47.2%) said the U.S. is doing too little, compared to 31.2% of independents and 22.5% of Republicans. More Democrats (45.7%) also feel the U.S. is providing the right amount of support, compared to 31.2% of independents and 29.3% of Republicans.
METHODOLOGY
This poll was conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy of Jacksonville, Florida from June 3 through June 5, 2024. A total of 800 registered voters in Minnesota were interviewed statewide by telephone. All indicated they were likely to vote in the 2024 presidential election.
Those interviewed were selected randomly from a telephone-matched Minnesota voter registration list that included both land line and cell phone numbers. Quotas were assigned to reflect voter turnout by county.
The margin for error, according to standards customarily used by statisticians, is no more than ± 3.5 percentage points. This means there is a 95% probability that the "true" figure would fall within that range if all voters were surveyed. The margin for error is higher for any subgroup, such as a gender or age grouping.
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