Poll: US college students prefer ‘Palestine’ as an ally over Israel

Poll shows American college students favor Palestinian Authority over Israel as an ally, with nearly a quarter saying the US deserved the 9/11 attacks. 

By World Israel News Staff

A national survey of American college students has found that significantly more undergraduates consider Palestine a better US ally than Israel, while more than one in five believe the United States deserved the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.

According to the survey, which was published by the Buckley Institute last month, 38% of respondents identified Palestine as a better ally for the United States, compared with just 25% who selected Israel. Another 37% were undecided.

The results represent a nine-percentage-point shift toward the Palestinians compared with 2025, when 33% preferred Palestine and 29% favored Israel.

The divide was especially pronounced among students identifying as politically liberal, 55% of whom selected Palestine. Conservative students favored Israel by 50% to 17%.

Women preferred Palestine over Israel by 42% to 20%, while male respondents were almost evenly divided, with 32% selecting Palestine and 31% Israel.

The survey also found that Israel was viewed unfavorably by 47% of American undergraduates, compared with just 27% who expressed a favorable opinion.

By contrast, Palestine received favorable ratings from 50% of students and unfavorable ratings from 21%.

Among politically liberal students, 64% expressed favorable views of Palestine, exceeding the 59% who viewed the United States favorably.

Israel’s net favorability rating of negative 20 percentage points was almost identical to Iran’s negative 21 points. Among liberals, Israel was viewed less favorably than Iran, China, Cuba and Venezuela.

The survey also revealed sharply contrasting attitudes toward the September 11 terrorist attacks, which killed 2,977 people when al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four passenger aircraft and struck the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, while a fourth plane crashed in Pennsylvania.

Asked whether they agreed with the statement “America deserved September 11th,” 22% of respondents answered affirmatively, including 11% who strongly agreed.

Nearly 72% disagreed, including 63% who strongly rejected the statement, while approximately 6% were uncertain.

Support for the assertion was strongest among politically liberal students, with 28% agreeing, compared with 17% of conservatives and 16% of moderates.

The figure rose to 33% among students who preferred socialism over capitalism, compared with 18% of those favoring capitalism.

Among students who expressed favorable opinions of Iran, 49% agreed that America deserved the September 11 attacks, more than twice the overall figure. The corresponding figures were 41% among students favorable toward Russia and 32% among those favorable toward China.

The poll did not directly ask respondents whether they supported al-Qaeda or approved of the murder of civilians. Agreement that America deserved the attacks therefore cannot necessarily be interpreted as explicit support for the terrorists themselves.

Nevertheless, the results highlight a substantial minority willing to assign responsibility or blame to the United States for the deadliest terrorist attack in American history.

The survey also found that students favoring Palestine over Israel were more likely to support certain forms of political coercion and violence.

Among respondents who considered Palestine the better American ally, 58% agreed that physical violence could be justified to prevent hate speech, compared with 41% of those who favored Israel.

Similarly, 58% of Palestine supporters endorsed shouting down campus speakers, compared with 43% of Israel supporters.

Nearly half of those preferring Palestine, 49%, supported criminal prosecution for offensive speech, compared with 39% of those preferring Israel.

The groups also differed markedly in their expressions of American patriotism. Just 55% of students who preferred Palestine said they were proud to be American, compared with 89% of those who selected Israel.

Overall, 65% of respondents expressed pride in being American, including 86% of conservatives and 62% of liberals.

The findings were part of the Buckley Institute’s 2026 National Undergraduate Student Survey, conducted by Inquire LLC between September 5 and September 14.

The institute’s founder and executive director, Lauren Noble, warned that the results demonstrated a troubling shift in campus political attitudes.

“This year’s survey demonstrates that censorious attitudes remain stubbornly high on America’s college campuses,” Noble said.

The study also found that 42% of undergraduates preferred socialism over capitalism, compared with 28% favoring capitalism, the largest advantage for socialism recorded in five years of polling on the question.

The survey questioned 803 full-time undergraduate students under the age of 25 attending four-year American colleges and universities.

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