American Attitudes Toward the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement
(2019 - Present)
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
- American Jewish Opinion Regarding Anti-Semitism
- American Public Opinion On Religious Discrimination
- Polls Regarding Anti-Semitism in the United States
How effective, if at all, are the following student protest actions at getting colleges and universities to stop investing in companies affiliated with Israel? (FIRE/NORC, May 17-19, 2024)
| Effective | Ineffective | |
|
Creating a petition |
59% | 38% |
|
Distributing or posting materials anonymously |
40% | 57% |
|
Holding a sign |
52% | 46% |
|
Marching for long distances |
46% | 51% |
| Burning an American flag | 11% | 86% |
| Engaging in a hunger strike | 28% | 69% |
| Using amplified sound | 39% | 58% |
| Establishing encampments | 30% | 67% |
| Occupying buildings | 27% | 71% |
| Defacing school property | 12% | 85% |
Some pro‑Palestinian student protesters have called for colleges to sell their investments in companies with direct or indirect ties to Israel. Do you think that selling these investments would be…? (YouGov, May 1-2, 2024).
|
Just and feasible |
12% |
|
Just but infeasible |
13% |
|
Unjust but feasible |
8% |
|
Unjust and infeasible |
32% |
| Not sure | 35% |
Do you support/oppose the BDS movement [college students] (Schoen Cooperman Research, March 2024)
| 2024 | |
| Support | 29% |
| Oppose | 16% |
| Not sure | 55% |
Is the BDS Movement Antisemitic? [college students after hearing about BDS, what it stands for, and what it attempts to do] (Schoen Cooperman Research, March 2024)
| 2024 | |
| Yes | 18% |
| Is the BDS Movement Antisemitic? | 25% |
| Not sure | 20% |
Does the BDS Movement Pose a Threat to the safety of Jewish students? (Schoen Cooperman Research, March 2024)
| 2024 | ||
| Jewish Students | College Students | |
| Serious threat | 65% | 36% |
| Not a serious threat | 27% | 29% |
Is the BDS movement anti-Semitic? [Jewish college students] (Schoen Cooperman Research, March 2024)
| 2024 | |
| Yes | 44% |
| c | 33% |
| No | 12% |
Is It Important to Use Your Voice to Stand Against BDS on Campus? [Jewish college students] (Schoen Cooperman Research, March 2024)
| 2024 | |
| Important | 62% |
| Not important | 26% |
| It is critical for Jewish students and organizations to fight back against the BDS movement on college campuses. BDS is an anti-Semitic attempt to delegitimize Israel, and to marginalize and ostracize Jewish students for their beliefs. | 52% |
| While the BDS movement is antisemitic, Jewish students and organizations should not actively fight back against it. It does more harm than good to engage with this organization, and the efforts to do so will only bring negative attention to the Jewish community. | 25% |
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%
|
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