Most ‘connected’ American Jews favor opposition win in Israel’s October election, survey finds

“The strong interest of American Jews in elections in Israel demonstrates the importance of Israel to them," JPPI President Prof. Yedidia Stern said.

A majority of the “connected” US Jews surveyed would prefer Israel’s current opposition to emerge victorious in the upcoming October elections, according to a new poll by the Jewish People Policy Institute published on Friday.

The survey, which defined “connected” American Jews as “those with relatively strong ties to the Jewish community, Israel, and/or Jewish identity,” found that 54% of respondents had a “clear preference” for the current opposition.

The next-largest group, 24%, said it was not their place to express a preference. Another 14% favored the current coalition, while 8% had no preference.

While only 8% of respondents held Israeli citizenship and were eligible to vote, interest in the election was high among those polled, with 78% saying they followed election news either very or somewhat closely.

“The strong interest of American Jews in elections in Israel demonstrates the importance of Israel to them, at least in two respects,” JPPI President Prof. Yedidia Stern told The Jerusalem Post.

One of those reasons, Stern said, is that Israel’s actions can shape how American Jews are perceived, meaning Israeli election results may have “practical implications for the status of Jews in the US.”

The other, he said, is that Israel remains central to the identity of many American Jews. He added that JPPI surveys suggest the war has “strengthened Jewish identity” among a substantial segment of the community.

Interest in the election was even higher among respondents eligible to vote in Israel.

Among that group, 92% said they were following election coverage, including 63% who said they were following the upcoming election “very closely” and 29% who said they were following it “somewhat closely.”

Survey panel of US Jews skews Democratic

The survey primarily reflected the views of “connected” Jews, and the panel also had a Democratic majority. Sixty-two percent of respondents said they voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 US presidential election, while 30% said they voted for Donald Trump.

The survey was not representative of all American Jews.

Asked what that limitation might mean, Stern said it was reasonable to assume that Jews who are not connected to the community may not constitute a group particularly distinct from non-Jewish Americans as a whole.

“However, I have no way of knowing whether this is indeed the case,” he added.

Preferences in the Israeli election also closely tracked respondents’ political orientations.

Among those who identified as “strong conservatives,” only 8% preferred the opposition, while 56% favored the coalition. Among Trump voters, 43% favored the coalition.

Support for the opposition rose steadily as respondents moved left politically: 21% among those who leaned conservative, 49% among centrists, 71% among those who leaned liberal, and 78% among those who identified as strong liberals.

Just under three-quarters, or 74%, of Harris voters preferred an opposition victory.

Among respondents outside the United States, 49% of Canadian respondents and 57% of UK respondents also said they preferred an opposition victory. JPPI cautioned, however, that the findings from those countries should be viewed as indicative because of their smaller sample sizes.

Among US respondents eligible to vote in Israel, 55% preferred an opposition victory, more than double the 26% who favored the current coalition.