Majority of Americans disapprove of Biden’s handling of Israel-Hamas conflict: poll

The majority of Americans disapprove of President Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict, marking a slight increase in disproval ratings from October, according to a new poll.

In a new CBS News/YouGov poll released Sunday, about 61 percent of American adults surveyed said they disapproved of Biden’s handling of the conflict, while 39 percent of participants said they approved. When asked the same question in October, 56 percent of Americans said they disapproved and 44 percent said they approved.

Approval of Biden’s response to the conflict has also dropped slightly among political parties since October. About 63 percent of Democrats in the latest poll said they approve of Biden’s handling of the conflict, a 3-point drop from October, when 66 percent reported the sentiment.

Republicans’ approval is much lower when compared with Democrats, with 22 percent in the latest poll saying they approve. This marks a 6-point decline from 28 percent in October. And about 35 percent of independents said they approve of Biden’s job with the conflict in the latest survey, compared with 39 percent who said the same in October.

Young voters, or those ages 18 to 29 years old, are exactly split on sentiment, with 50 percent expressing disapproval and 50 percent approving. The disapproval rating spikes to 68 percent for those between 30 and 44 years old. Those ages 45 to 64 had a slightly lesser disapproval rate of 63 percent, while ages 65 and older had a disapproval rate of 60 percent.

Despite the rise in disapproval ratings, the Israel-Hamas war does not fall in the U.S.’s top issues, the poll found. When asked for the most important problem facing the U.S., inflation was the most picked, followed by immigration and the border and the state of democracy before the war.

While polls released last month saw support among Democrats slipping on Biden’s handling of the conflict, another poll released last Thursday showed an increase in Democratic support despite some criticism from the party.

The Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey found 59 percent of Democrats approve of Biden’s handling of the situation — up from 50 percent in November. 

The numbers come as Biden and other White House leaders have upped their calls in recent weeks for Israel to minimize civilian deaths in Gaza, which is currently controlled by the militant group Hamas.

Biden has consistently expressed support for Israel’s fight against Hamas, arguing the country has a right to defend itself following Hamas’s surprise assault on Oct. 7 that left more than 1,200 people dead.

However, in the wake of Israel’s deadly campaign in Gaza that has left more than 10,000 people dead, some Democratic lawmakers have called on Biden to push for a permanent cease-fire or for more conditions to be placed on aid to Israel.

The Hill reached out to the White House for comment.

The CBS News/YouGov survey was conducted between Dec. 6-8 among a sample of 2,144 U.S. adult residents. It has a margin of error of 2.8 points.