American Attitudes Toward the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement

Note: We are presenting raw data. When available, we provide some or all of the crosstabs (i.e., breakdowns by various categories such as party ID). To analyze the data, we encourage users to read the entire study and the methodology used. Results and reliability can be affected by such things as sample size, question wording, and question order. Responses may also be influenced by context and timing; for example, if the survey is conducted during a war.

See also

What is your position, if you have one, on the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement aimed at Israel?* (University of Maryland, October 4-10, 2019, March 27-April 5, 2023)

	2019	2023
	Total	Rep.	Ind.	Dem.	Total
Support strongly	8%	1%	5%	5%	4%
Support somewhat	18%	2%	6%	8%	5%
Neither support nor oppose	26%	10%	10%	13%	11%
Oppose somewhat	9%	5%	5%	3%	4%
Oppose strongly	38%	17%	12%	3%	11%
I am unfamiliar	52%**	39%	36%	42%	39%
Don't know		27%	25%	24%	26%
Total Support	26%	3%	11%	13%	9%
Total Oppose	47%	22%	17%	6%	15%

*2019 wording: Based on what you have heard, do you support or oppose BDS, or the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement.
**2019 wording: How much have you heard about BDS, or the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement aimed at Israel?

How much have you heard about the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel? (Pew, March 7-13, 2022).

A lot	3%
Some	12%
Not much	31%
Nothing at all	53%

Generally speaking, do you support or oppose the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement? (Pew, March 7-13, 2022).

Support	5%
Neither support nor oppose	3%
Oppose	7%

How much, if anything, have you heard about the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement, or BDS, against Israel? (Ruderman Family Foundation, (October 11-November 1, 2021)

	Jews
Heard some	63%
A great deal	31%
Not much	18%
Nothing at all	19%

Do you support/oppose the BDS movement against Israel (asked only of those who had heard of BDS)? (Ruderman Family Foundation, October 11-November 1, 2021)

	Jews
Support	17%
Oppose	66%

How familiar are you with the BDS movement? (American Jewish Committee, Jews September 9-October 4, general public September 15-20, 2020; September 1 – October 3, 2021)

	Jews			General Public
	2019	2020	2021	2020	2021
Very familiar	26%	25%	23%	5%	4%
Somewhat familiar	36%	36%	36%	20%	17%
Not too familiar	14%	18%	15%	28%	27%
Not at all familiar	24%	21%	26%	47%	52%

Do you view the BDS movement as antisemitic?(American Jewish Committee, Jews September 9-October 4, general public September 15-20, 2020)

	Jews				General Public
	2019	2020	2021	2020	2021
Mostly antisemitic	35%	37%	40%	21%	30%
Some antisemitic supporters	47%	43%	42%	47%	33%
Not antisemitic	14%	15%	15%	19%	13%
Don't know/refused	4%	5%	3%	13%	25%

How much of a problem, if at all, do you think anti-Israel campaigns, such as the BDS movement, is for Jewish college students in the United States today? (AJC, September 1 – October 3, 2021)

	Jews 2021
A Problem	54%
Not a Problem	24%
Don't know/refused	1%

How much have you heard about BDS, or the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement aimed at Israel? (University of Maryland, October 4-10, 2019)

A great deal	6%
A good amount	14%
A little	29%
I have not heard about it. Refused	52%

Tell me how much you agree or disagree with the following statement: BDS is a legitimate, peaceful way of opposing Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories. Inspired by the South African anti-apartheid movement, BDS urges action to pressure Israel to comply with international law. Opposing Israeli policy does not equal anti-Semitism. (University of Maryland, October 4-10, 2019)

Strongly disagree	32%
Somewhat disagree	11%
Neither agree nor disagree	20%
Somewhat agree	15%
Strongly agree	21%
Refused	1%
Total Disgree	43%
Total Agree	36%

Tell me how much you agree or disagree with the following statement: Regardless of how BDS defines itself, it is an anti-Israel organization attempting to weaken Israel and to undermine its legitimacy. Some of its supporters are opponents of Israel’s very existence and may even be anti-Semitic. (University of Maryland, October 4-10, 2019)

Strongly disagree	16%
Somewhat disagree	10%
Neither agree nor disagree	23%
Somewhat agree	15%
Strongly agree	34%
Refused	2%
Total Disgree	26%
Total Agree	49%

Now tell me, which of the following is closer to your view? (University of Maryland, October 4-10, 2019)

BDS is a legitimate, peaceful way of opposing Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories. Inspired by the South African anti-apartheid movement, BDS urges action to pressure Israel to comply with international law. Opposing Israeli policy does not equal anti-Semitism.	42%
Regardless of how BDS defines itself, it is an anti-Israel organization attempting to weaken Israel and to undermine its legitimacy. Some of its supporters are opponents of Israel’s very existence and may even be anti-Semitic.	54%
I have not heard about it. Refused	4%

Which of the following is closer to your view? (University of Maryland, October 4-10, 2019)

We should SUPPORT laws that penalize people who boycott Israel because these laws help protect Israel.	22%
We should OPPOSE laws that penalize people who boycott Israel because these laws infringe on the Constitutional right to free speech and peaceful protest.	72%
Refused	7%