Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and Biden’s stance on it divide Iowans
Palestinian photographer films widespread destruction in Gaza Strip
A Palestinian photographer filmed the extensive damage in Jabalia, northern Gaza, from the floor of a building missing its exterior walls on June 19, 2024.
- Forty-two percent of Iowans say they found Israel’s response to the October 7 Hamas attack acceptable.
- 40 percent think Israel’s reaction is unacceptable.
- Only 23 percent of Iowa residents are satisfied with Biden’s conduct of the war, while 64 percent disapprove.
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Iowans are nearly evenly split in their opinions on Israel’s handling of the ongoing war with the militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip, according to a new Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa poll.
Forty-two percent of Iowans say Israel’s response to the October 7 Hamas attack was acceptable, while 40 percent say Israel’s response was unacceptable.
These include 15 percent of Iowans who say Israel’s actions were completely unacceptable, 25 percent who say it was mostly unacceptable, 26 percent who say it was mostly acceptable and 16 percent who say it was completely acceptable.
Another 18% are not sure.
These figures come as the war between Israel and Hamas enters its ninth month and the death toll has risen to over 37,000, according to local health authorities. The United Nations estimates that over 1.7 million people have been displaced in Gaza.
Democratic President Joe Biden pledged his full support to Israel after the Hamas attack that killed around 1,200 people. The US has supplied Israel with weapons and aid packages, and Biden recently pushed for a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
But the president is under pressure from both sides of the political spectrum: from those who want him to strongly support Israel’s ongoing offensive, and from those who want him to more forcefully condemn what they see as the genocide taking place in Palestine.
Members of Biden’s own party expressed their frustration by casting protest votes in the Democratic presidential primaries, and young people staged protest rallies on college campuses throughout the spring.
This issue is likely to be a crucial one in the 2024 presidential campaign, especially as Biden seeks to consolidate enthusiasm and support on the left through November.
The poll of 806 Iowa adults was conducted June 9-14 by Selzer & Co. of Des Moines and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. The questions, asked to only 632 likely voters, have a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.
Few Iowans agree with Joe Biden’s handling of the war
According to the poll, only 23 percent of Iowa residents support Biden’s war approach, while 64 percent oppose it.
51 percent of Democrats agree, 36 percent disagree. Among Republicans, 10 percent agree, 83 percent disagree.
Dennis Burds, a 64-year-old Monticello resident and poll respondent, disapproves of Biden’s handling of the issue. He said he believes the president is trying to “curry” for the support of pro-Palestinian voters in places like Detroit, Michigan, and is not firmly behind Israel.
“I think he forgot who attacked who that day,” Burds said. “They should just do their job and stand behind them until they eliminate every threat.”
Burds, an independent voter who registered with the Republicans to campaign for Nikki Haley in January, said he found the way Israel handled the war “completely acceptable.”
“There will be war,” Burds said. “There will be casualties, especially if they’re hiding behind civilians and stuff.”
He said he plans to vote for former Republican President Donald Trump because he believes he would handle the situation better.
“When Trump was in office, there were no wars. Everything was pretty peaceful,” said Burds. “And I firmly believe that Ukraine would never have been attacked either. People are afraid of Trump.”
Dissatisfaction among Democrats and young people over Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip
A majority of Democrats (65 percent) say Israel’s actions are unacceptable. Another 23 percent say they are acceptable, and 12 percent are not sure.
Among Republicans, the opposite is true: 60 percent say Israel’s actions are acceptable, 21 percent say they are unacceptable, and 19 percent say they are not sure.
Roan Marcy, a 20-year-old North Liberty resident and poll respondent, said he plans to vote for Biden in November but has significant concerns.
“First of all, I would really like to see him stop funding the genocide in Palestine and acting complacent about it,” Marcy said. “And I’m sure a lot of my friends feel the same way. That’s why a lot of us young people are hesitant to vote for him, because if we vote for him, we’re still voting for the genocide in Palestine.”
According to the survey, people under 35 are more likely to say Israel’s actions are unacceptable than people in any other age group.
53 percent of those under 35 say Israel’s actions are unacceptable.
Disapproval of Biden’s handling of the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip is also significantly more pronounced among young people than among any other age group: 78 percent oppose it, 9 percent are in favor.
Marcy said he felt he had to vote for Biden because he was the “lesser of two evils” against Trump.
“As a transgender person living in a red state … the more red leadership we have, the more likely my rights and safety are at stake,” he said. “So I feel like I’m more likely to be grasping at straws than making a well-informed, thoughtful decision” about which candidate I support.
Among those who say they will vote for Biden in November, a clear majority – 70 percent – say Israel’s actions are unacceptable, compared to just 22 percent who say they are acceptable.
Of those who say they would vote for Trump, 64 percent think Israel’s actions are acceptable, 19 percent say they are unacceptable, and 17 percent are not sure.
Of those who say they would vote for someone other than the two major party candidates, a majority (47% to 30%) say Israel’s actions are unacceptable, with another 24% unsure.
Catholic and evangelical residents of Iowa are more likely to support Israel’s actions
The figures can also be broken down by religious criteria: a larger proportion of Catholics and Evangelicals find Israel’s actions acceptable.
54 percent of Catholics believe that Israel’s actions are acceptable, while 29 percent believe they are unacceptable.
And among evangelicals, 50 percent side with Israel and 29 percent say they disagree with the country’s actions.
Of those who do not state their religious affiliation, 62 percent find Israel’s measures unacceptable and 22 percent say they are acceptable.
Brianne Pfannenstiel is the Des Moines Register’s chief political reporter. She is also USA TODAY’s senior national campaign correspondent covering the 2024 presidential race. Reach her at [email protected] or 515-284-8244. Follow her on Twitter at @brianneDMR.
About the Iowa Poll
The Iowa poll, conducted June 9-14, 2024, for The Des Moines Register and Mediacom by Selzer & Co. of Des Moines, is based on telephone interviews with 806 Iowa residents ages 18 or older. Interviewers from Quantel Research contacted households using randomly selected landline and cellphone numbers provided by Dynata. Interviews were conducted in English. Responses were adjusted by age, gender, and congressional district to reflect the general population based on the most recent American Community Survey estimates.
For questions based on the sample of 806 Iowa adults, the maximum margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. This means that if this survey were repeated using the same questions and methodology, 19 times out of 20 the results would not differ more than plus or minus 3.5 percentage points from the true population value. Results based on smaller samples of respondents – for example, by gender or age – have a larger margin of error.
Republishing the copyrighted Iowa Poll on digital platforms without attribution and without links to original content from The Des Moines Register and Mediacom is prohibited.
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