Harvard poll: Plurality of young Americans do not view US-Israel ties as beneficial

A new poll from the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School found that a plurality of young Americans view the U.S. relationship with Israel as more of a burden than as a benefit.

The Harvard Youth Poll found that 46% of respondents aged 18 to 29 view the U.S. relationship with Israel as mostly a burden, while only 16% viewed it as mostly a benefit.

By contrast, the survey found that respondents were more likely to view U.S. ties with traditional economic partners positively. Fifty-three percent said the relationship with Canada is a benefit, compared with 9% who called it a burden. For the European Union, those figures were 45% and 14%, respectively, and for Mexico, 40% and 20%.

Attitudes toward Ukraine fell in between, with 31% describing the relationship as a burden and 21% as a benefit.

“While partnerships with neighboring countries and economic allies are widely viewed as beneficial, relationships tied to military conflict are far more likely to be seen as burdens,” the survey stated.

The poll surveyed 2,018 Americans ages 18–29 from March 26 to April 3, with a margin of error of 2.74 percentage points.