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  4.  » Most people across 36 countries have negative views of Israel and little confidence in Netanyahu

A counter-protestor holds up a pro-Israeli poster at a pro-Palestinian march in March in NYC

Laura Silver and Laura Clancy – Pew Research Centre June 4, 2026

Majorities in most of the three dozen countries we’ve surveyed this year express an unfavorable view of Israel and little or no confidence in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

These findings come from a Pew Research Center survey conducted Feb. 8-May 13, 2026. Most interviews took place after the United States and Israel launched a military campaign in Iran on Feb. 28.

Views of Israel

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Across the 36 countries, a median of 67% of adults have an unfavorable view of Israel, while 25% have a favorable view.

Views are particularly negative in the Muslim-majority places surveyed, including Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Turkey, and the West Bank and East Jerusalem. (We were unable to survey in Gaza.)

People in all European countries surveyed also give relatively negative assessments of Israel. In Italy, the Netherlands and Spain, around half of adults or more say they have a very unfavorable view of the country.

Views of Israel are among the most positive in some of the sub-Saharan African countries surveyed.

Differences by age

In several countries – mostly in North America and Europe – younger people have more negative views of Israel than older people do. In Hungary, for example, 72% of those ages 18 to 34 have an unfavorable view of Israel, compared with 45% of those ages 50 and older. (Refer to the detailed tables for more responses by age.)

Differences by ideology

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