With anti-Israel campus protests continuing to dominate headlines, where do Americans stand? It appears at least one polling firm is delivering some answers.
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YouGov found nearly half of American adults (47%) oppose the protests seen on campuses like Columbia University, Harvard, and other colleges across the United States. Meanwhile, 28% of U.S adults support these pro-Palestinian efforts, with 24% remaining undecided on the matter.
The polling firm also asked Americans to weigh in on how colleges have responded to the chaos, and found many uncertain about where to stand on the matter.
While 31% of respondents said they are “unsure,” 20% called administrators’ responses appropriate, with 16% feeling they have been “too harsh.”
Confusion and a refusal to offer a definitive stance isn’t entirely surprising, considering the divergent ways schools have handled these situations. While police were invited in to break up encampments at schools like UCLA and Columbia, other institutions took a different approach.
Northwestern and Brown Universities reached deals with student protestors as tensions over Israel’s fight against Hamas in Gaza have reached boiling points on these campuses. Northeastern reportedly pledged to disclose school investments to students, will offer full scholarships for five Palestinian students, and will support two Palestinian faculty members.
There was also a promise to create a community house for Middle Eastern, North African, and Muslim students. A temporary one will be established immediately and a permanent one will soon come, according to USA Today.
Students will also purportedly be able to have one tent set up only and will need permission to use amplification. Read more about these negotiations here.
On the whole, one of pro-Palestinian protestors’ demands has been for schools to “divest” from Israel — to sell or stop investments in businesses and companies with ties to Israel.
Once again, many Americans are confused regarding where they stand. While 32% said these calls to divest from companies with Israeli ties are “unjust and infeasible,” 12% said they are just and feasible. Meanwhile, 35% are undecided.
Read more about the results here.
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