Forty-four percent of Democrats approve of the recent anti-Israel protests on college campuses, according to a Tuesday Politico-Morning Consult poll.
While 74% of Democrats report that student protesters are “in the right” with their intentions, 48% think the protests have gone too far, according to the poll. Fifty percent of Gen Z and millennial voters, on the other hand, favor the anti-Israel demonstrations.
The Israel-Palestinian conflict has caused President Joe Biden problems, causing him lose support in states such as Michigan.
Republican voters overwhelmingly oppose the anti-Israel protests. Nearly three-quarters of Republicans disapprove of the protest encampments, according to Politico, with 52% responding that protesters are “in the wrong,” and 31% responding that protesters are “in the right but taking things too far.”
Politico also found that one-third of young voters sympathize with both sides of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, compared to 43% of Democratic voters. Voters aged 18-34, on the other hand, tended to sympathize more with Palestinians than Israel. While Biden previously condoned students’ rights to protest, he also included that “[v]iolent protest is not protected … It’s against the law.” As a result, some Democrats fear that Biden alienates young people and Democrats more broadly.
“Violent protest is not protected; peaceful protest is. … Vandalism, trespassing, breaking windows, shutting down campuses, forcing the cancellation of classes … none of this is peaceful protest.”
— President Biden condemns many campus demonstrations. pic.twitter.
com/AE7IjPezB4 — The Recount (@therecount) May 2, 2024
Despite this fear, campus protests remain a relatively low priority for voters, according to the poll. Sixty-seven percent of voters claim that “campus demonstrations are important in deciding their 2024 election vote.” But nearly 97% of voters claim that economic performance will decide their vote.
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