How the Israel-Hamas war impacts American voters’ worry about terrorism in the U.S.
Nearly 6-in-10 Americans are more worried about terrorism in the United States since the Israel-Hamas war began, and a plurality (48%) are more worried about terrorists entering the U.S. through the Mexican border.
- Republicans, older voters, and those closely following the news are the most worried.
WHY IT MATTERS – A terrorist attack in the United States could upend the delicate tightrope Washington is trying to walk between supporting Israel while avoiding a direct conflict with Iran and its proxy groups, Hamas and Hezbollah.
HOW TO USE THIS DATA – Candidates and activists can use this information to understand how the Israel-Hamas war impacts American voters’ sense of safety.
Click on the image below to read the full report…or read the summary below.
3-in-4 Americans are closely following news of the Israel-Hamas war.
- 76% of Americans are closely following news of the war between Israel and Hamas, including 32% who are following it “very closely.”
- Men and older voters are more likely to be following the war “very closely” than voters overall.
- America’s New Majority and Left Minority voters are following news of the war with similar intensity.
Most Americans are more worried about terrorism since the war began.
- 57% of voters are more worried about terrorism in the United States since the Israel-Hamas war began.
- This includes majorities of Republicans (66%), Democrats (52%) and swing voters (56%).
- 64% of voters closely following news of the war are and more worried about terrorism, compared to 33% of voters not closely following the news of the war.
- America’s New Majority voters are more worried about terrorism than Left Minority voters (60%-45%, respectively).
A plurality is more worried about terrorists getting into the U.S. through the Mexican border.
- 48% of voters are more worried about terrorists getting into the United States through the Mexican border since the Israel-Hamas war began.
- Republicans are much more worried than Democrats (68%-34%, respectively), while 43% of swing voters are more worried.
- Those closely following news of the war are more worried than those not closely following it (53%-30%, respectively).
- America’s New Majority voters who are currently undecided or planning to vote Democrat in 2024 are more worried about terrorists entering through the Mexican border than Left Minority voters. This makes border security a magnet issue.