Few American college students consider the Israel-Hamas war a major issue in their lives, while most avoid the excesses of pro-terrorism protesters on campuses across the country, new poll finds Became.
Only 8% of students said they participated in the pro- or anti-Israel demonstrations that began at Columbia University on April 17 and spread across the United States, and 81% of universities reported destruction of property, vandalism, or illegal construction of campus buildings. They want the demonstrators who occupied the area to be held accountable.According to a survey conducted by generation lab For Axios.
Additionally, two-thirds (67%) of students said occupying campus buildings was an unacceptable form of protest, and 58% said the same was true for refusing orders to disperse.
Nine out of 10 students also said it was unacceptable for protesters to block pro-Israel or Jewish students from accessing parts of campus, as happened infamously at UCLA.
Only 13% of students said the Middle East war was one of the three issues most important to them, far behind topics such as health care, climate change, gun control and immigration.
Four in 10 students say health care reform is one of their top three issues, followed by education funding (38%), economic equity (37%), and racial justice (36%). Climate change (35%), gun control (32%), immigration (21%), and national security (15%).
A plurality of students (34%) blamed Hamas for the conflict, which led to Israel’s declaration of war on October 7 when it attacked the Jewish state, killing an estimated 1,200 people, including 33 Americans. caused a proclamation.
Another 19% blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the war, and 12% blamed President Biden.
Despite being concerned about some of the demonstrators’ tactics, 45% said they supported the anti-Israel camp, 30% were neutral and 24% were somewhat opposed.
In a sign of the bitterness demonstrators feel toward the Jewish state, 58% of people who support or have participated in anti-Israel demonstrations would not consider being friends with someone who holds opposing views. It has said.
On the other hand, 64% of pro-Israel students said they would continue to be friends with classmates who participated in anti-Israel demonstrations.
The Generation Lab poll sampled 1,250 students at two-year and four-year colleges between May 3 and May 6. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.7 percentage points.
