President Joe Biden’s approval rating among Democrats fell 11 percentage points in the past month, likely driven by his vocal support for Israel and an increasing number of Democrats who are more supportive of Palestinians, a new Gallup poll found.
The survey firm found that Biden’s approval among Democrats dropped from 86 percent to 75 percent in just the past month. Gallup analysts suggested the drop is likely tied to Biden’s outspoken support for Israel since the devastating surprise attack by Hamas on October 7, that left over a thousand civilians dead and the region in turmoil.
Gallup’s daily poll results “strongly suggest that Democrats’ approval of Biden fell sharply in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas and Biden’s promise of full support for Israel on the same day,” Megan Brenan, a Gallup research consultant, wrote of the poll results.
“Biden’s immediate and decisive show of support for Israel following the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas appears to have turned off some in his own party, resulting in Democrats’ worst assessment of the president since he took office,” she added.
The flagging support from Democrats dropped Biden’s overall approval rating four points to 37 percent, matching a low for his presidency.
The findings echo an earlier Gallup poll published in March that showed Democrats are now more sympathetic to the Palestinians, 49 percent, than to Israelis, 38 percent.
Political independents have also expressed increasing support for Palestinians, with 32 percent reporting being more sympathetic to the Palestinian cause, up 6 percent since 2021, according to the poll. However, a larger percentage of independents, 49 percent, are still more sympathetic to the Israelis. Differences in sentiment, Gallup found, are often influenced by generational identification, with younger cohorts hewing closer to the Palestinians.
Republican attitudes on the issue have not budged considerably in the past two decades, with support for Israel hovering around 80 percent consistently throughout the period.
Nationally, Americans are still largely more supportive of Israel, with 68 percent saying they are more favorable to Israel, with just over a quarter, or 26 percent, favoring the Palestinian Authority, according to the poll.
“Regardless of the reasons that Democrats’ (and, to a lesser extent, independents’) views have changed on the conflict, majorities of all generational and party groups still view Israel favorably and look more favorably on Israel than on the Palestinian Authority,” Lydia Saad, the director of U.S. social research at Gallup, wrote following the study. “This suggests that while rank-and-file Democrats may want Palestinians’ needs addressed, they will want solutions that respect Israel’s needs as well.”
Biden’s quarterly approval rating, 40 percent, places him roughly in line with former presidents Donald Trump, 40.7 percent, and Barack Obama, 41 percent, eleven quarters into their respective stints in the White House.
Of all the post-World War II elected presidents, only Jimmy Carter had a lower approval rating, 31.4 percent, during the 11th quarter of his presidency. The nation was grappling with an energy crisis and high gas prices at that time in 1979.
