Thirty-three thousand, one hundred thirty-seven. As of April 6, this figure is the estimated death toll in Gaza after the onset of the Israel-Hamas war, Israel’s most deadly campaign against the Palestinian territories in its history — a larger loss of life than the 1948 Nakba, which resulted in an estimated 15,000 deaths.
After Hamas launched a surprise attack into Israeli territories on Oct. 7, 2023, the Israel-Hamas war has catalyzed an ongoing public reckoning with the Israeli state’s treatment of Palestinians in the occupied territories. This has manifested in the form of widespread boycotts of corporations perceived to be supportive of Israel and international days of action to protest the war in Gaza. Critics of Israel have also faced backlash, exemplified by the doxxing of pro-Palestinian activists on college campuses and the censure of the only Palestinian member of the United States Congress.
Given the current geopolitical and national significance of the Israel-Hamas war, understanding the perspectives of young Americans — a group that notably leans pro-Palestine — is crucial, especially given the outsized influence this demographic has exerted in shaping public narratives about the war on college campuses as well as across social media. The Harvard Public Opinion Project’s Spring 2024 Youth Poll, which surveyed Americans aged 18-29 this March, provides a powerful snapshot of how this group perceives the war.
Data
Among those surveyed, strong support for Palestinian civilians was higher than that for Israeli civilians, with 34% of young Americans stating that they have “a lot of sympathy for the Palestinian people” — a figure 10 percentage points higher than the 24% of respondents who expressed “a lot of sympathy for the Israeli people.” However, it is worth noting that net sympathy for both groups are quite similar, with 52% net support for Israeli civilians, and 56% net support for Palestinian civilians. When asked to identify their individual viewpoints on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, 21% of respondents noted that America should be “more of an ally to Palestine.” Alternatively, only 11% of respondents stated that the U.S. should be “more of an ally to Israel.”
Despite the overall favorable attitudes of young Americans toward Palestine, the most popular response for every question respondents were surveyed on regarding the Israel-Gaza conflict was “Don’t know.” or “Don’t have enough information.” This result can likely be attributed to the fact that, when asked, an overall 60% of respondents noted that they did not follow news about the war closely. This limited base of knowledge regarding Israel and Palestine among young Americans could explain their reluctance to provide more concrete responses.
Yet, despite the majority of responses regarding the Israel-Gaza conflict coming from low-information respondents, 51% of respondents displayed support for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. Furthermore, 32% of respondents believed that Israel’s military offensive was “unjustified.” This value is 11 percentage points higher than the proportion of respondents who categorized Israel’s response as “justified.”
Both poll outcomes could potentially be attributed to the strong prevalence of pro-ceasefire campaigns on social media sites in recent months. Given its reported role in shaping public perceptions of the conflict, it is worth examining the role of social media access in shaping the political perceptions of young Americans in the 2020s, especially regarding the increase in pro-Palestine sentiment among Generation Z.
Analysis
Despite the slight increase in support for Palestine among young Americans, it is notable that youth support for Israel remained consistent between now and HPOP’s Fall 2021 results. Generally speaking, the political preferences of parental figures tend to pass down to their children. Since support for Israel among older generations is notably higher in comparison to younger generations, it is entirely possible that the unchanged shift in support for Israel among younger voter generations is due to their close access to Israel-sympathetic figures in their daily lives.
Yet, while views on Israel may be stagnated by parental influence, opinions on Palestine have proven more dynamic, as young voters are exposed to a broader information about the war than their elders. Generation Z has the unique ability to view conflicts in real time, and to directly connect with civilians and journalists living through them. One driver of this emerging linkage between on-the-ground events and digital engagement is Bisan Owda, a Palestinian filmmaker turned journalist who regularly posts updates of her life in Gaza. Owda currently possesses 4.4 million followers on her Instagram account, which she uses to depict the physical consequences of Israel’s persistent bombing in Gaza. Owda’s reach has extended beyond social media, with her images garnering attention from Western news media as well.
When asked about what social media sites they frequented for current events, respondents identified Instagram and Youtube as their favored platforms at 25% for both.
Young Americans favored cable news platforms Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN at proportions of 12%, 7%, and 14%, respectively. From the Spring HPOP 2024 data, it is evident that social media plays a nearly equal role to major news networks in providing information to young Americans. Social media has made it easier for American youth to access news sources outside of the U.S.-centric media and enables the discovery of sources strictly dedicated to the coverage of Palestine and Israel, such as Mondoweiss — a news website founded in 2006 entirely dedicated to the coverage of the Israel-Palestine conflict. This is especially important given widespread journalistic critiques of the “pro-Israel slant” of many American news sources.
Interestingly, local news outlet consumption among youth was at 22%, ranking third in the category of news consumption. The popularity of local news sources among young Americans could help explain why knowledge regarding the Israel-Hamas war remains low; local news tends to focus on more local issues, as opposed to offering in-depth coverage of international conflicts.
Conclusion
As the Israel-Hamas conflict progresses past its six month anniversary, warfare continues with no clear end in sight.
More than ever, young Americans have taken steps to stand up for Palestine in ways previously unseen. American politicians are being forced to listen to the 51% of young Americans who support a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. Whether that be through mass pro-Palestinian civilian protests across the world or the emergence of “uncommitted” ballots in the Democratic presidential primary, it is likely that social media has helped to engage many American youth in support of Palestine — and will continue to activate them going forward.
