A comparative study by the Levada Center and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs shows that about half of both Russians and Americans surveyed do not express sympathy for either side of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, however, support for the Israeli side is higher in the United States, and for the Palestinian side in Russia. Russians consider the actions of Hamas unjustified or find it difficult to formulate their attitude, while most Americans consider the actions of Hamas unjustified. At the same time, the majority of Russians consider Israel’s actions unjustified, whereas there is no unequivocal opinion on this issue in American society. About half of the respondents in both countries support the creation of an independent Palestinian state, although in the United States there is also a high proportion of respondents who oppose it. Respondents in Russia place the main responsibility for what is happening in the Middle East on the United States and to a lesser extent on Israel.
The majority of Russians (81%) are aware of last year’s escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, including one in five (19%) closely following the development of events, another 62% of respondents have heard something, but not in detail. 18% of respondents heard about this for the first time during the study.
Men (86%), older respondents (55 years and older) – 88%, respondents with higher education (86%), Muscovites (95%) follow the development of events most closely.

Four out of ten Russians consider the actions of Hamas on October 7, 2023 unjustified, 18% of respondents say the opposite, 42% of respondents find it difficult to answer. Public opinion in the United States looks different, where respondents more often believe that the actions of Hamas on October 7, 2023 were unjustified (67%) and almost no one talks about the justified nature of Hamas’ actions – 3%.

Reflecting on Israel’s military actions in Gaza, the majority of Russians (59%), unlike Americans, believe that “Israel has gone too far and its military actions are not justified.” Respondents in the United States are more likely than Russians to say that Israel defends its interests and its military actions are justified (32% and 14%, respectively). But in general, public opinion in the United States on this issue has not been clearly formed, and none of the positions dominates, the proportion of those who find it difficult to answer is high.

Russians are more likely to blame the United States/NATO countries for the continuation of bloodshed and instability in the Middle East – 38% (a decrease of 7% since October 2023) and Israel – 22% (an increase of 10% since October 2023). 8% of respondents mention the responsibility of Hamas/the Palestinian side, and another 9% of respondents believe that no one in particular is responsible.
The opinion that the United States/NATO countries are primarily responsible for the continuation of bloodshed and instability in the Middle East is shared more than others by older respondents (44% among respondents aged 55 and older), low-income respondents (44%), those who believe that things in the country are going in the right direction (40%), as well as those who trust information from television (44%).
Men (27%), older respondents (26% among respondents aged 55 and older), those who believe that things in the country are going in the right direction (25%), as well as those who trust information from YouTube channels (31%) are more likely to consider Israel a responsible party.).
Young respondents under the age of 24 (13%), more affluent respondents (10% among those who can afford durable goods), those who believe that things in the country are going the wrong way (13%), as well as those who trust information from YouTube channels (13%) more than others hold Hamas/the Palestinian side responsible for what is happening.

For 26 years of sociological observations, the majority of Russians has not supported either side in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict: in September 2024, 57% of respondents held that opinion. Since 2011, the proportion of respondents whose sympathies are on the side of the Palestinians has been gradually increasing – 28% (an increase of 22%) and at the same time the number of respondents who support the Israelis has been decreasing – 6% (a decrease of 9% since 2012).
In the United States, half of respondents (56%) do not take sides in the conflict, but respondents are more likely to express sympathy for Israelis (31%) than for Palestinians (11%).
Men (35%), older respondents (37% among respondents aged 55), those who believe that things in the country are going in the right direction (32%), those who trust information from television and YouTube channels (33%) voiced their sympathies for the Palestinian side more often.
The sympathies of the Israeli side in Russia are more often expressed by young people under the age of 24 (9%), those who believe that things in the country are going the wrong way (8%), as well as viewers of YouTube channels (10%).


Half of the Russians surveyed (49%), as well as half of the respondents in the United States (49%), support the creation of an independent Palestinian state. However, among the Americans surveyed, almost half of the respondents oppose such a decision (41%), while in Russia only 14% of respondents say this (while in Russia there is a large proportion of those who find it difficult to answer this question — 38%).

Half of Russians (51%) now have a bad attitude towards Israel, since 2018 the share of respondents with such an opinion has increased by 34 percentage points. 27% of respondents say they have a positive attitude towards Israel, since 2018 the number of respondents sharing such an opinion has decreased by 32%.
Young people under the age of 24 (36%) have a more positive attitude towards Israel, those who believe that things in the country are going the wrong way (32%), those who trust social networks as a source of information (34%).
Older respondents have a more negative attitude towards Israel (60% among those 55 and older), those who believe that things in the country are going in the right direction (55%), those who trust television as a source of information (55%).

METHODOLOGY
The survey by the Levada Center was conducted September 26 – October 2 2024, among a representative sample of all Russian urban and rural residents. The sample consisted of 1606 people aged 18 or older in 137 municipalities of 50 regions of the Russian Federation. The survey was conducted as a personal interview in respondents’ homes. The distribution of responses is given as a percentage of the total number. The data set is weighted by gender, age, level of education for each type of settlement (large cities, medium cities, small towns, villages) within each Federal district independently, in accordance with Rosstat data.
The statistical error of these studies for a sample of 1600 people (with a probability of 0.95) does not exceed:
3.4% for indicators around 50%
2.9% for indicators around 25%/75%
2.0% for indicators around 10%/90%
1.5% for indicators around 5%/95%
Learn more about the methodology