The ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine has recently flared up again, with Israel executing air strikes on the Gaza Strip, in response to rocket attacks by Hamas. With an estimated 243 lives lost – almost all civilian – both Hamas and Israel have now agreed to a ceasefire.
Now new YouGov Eurotrack data shows that Israel’s favourability across Europe has suffered significantly since we last tested it in February, with net favourability for the nation falling by at least 14 points in all countries surveyed.
Of all the countries surveyed, Israel is least favourable amongst Britons, with favourability falling from -14 in February to -41 in May, its lowest rating in Britain since we started asking this question in 2016. Israel’s favourability is lowest amongst Labour voters, of whom only 13% view Israel favourably, with 68% viewing the country unfavourably (a net score of -55). Conservative voters view Israel more favourably, although perceptions are still largely negative: 29% have a favourable impression of Israel while 53% have an unfavourable impression (net -24).
The next highest fall in Israel’s favourability is seen in France, decreasing 23 points from -13 to -36, the country’s lowest favourability rating amongst the French since May 2019. A similar fall can be seen in Denmark, experiencing a 22 point drop from -17 to -39. Sweden and Germany see the smallest falls in favourability, at 17 and 14 points respectively. Germany stands out from the rest of the countries surveyed with the highest net favourability rating for Israel at-24, nine points higher than the next highest country (Sweden) at -33.
See full results here
