---
title: "Most people across 36 countries have negative views of Israel and little confidence in Netanyahu"
description: "Majorities in most of the countries we surveyed express an unfavorable view of Israel and little or no confidence in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu."
date: "2026-06-04"
authors:
  - name: "Laura Silver"
    job_title: "Associate Director, Global Attitudes Research"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/laura-silver/"
  - name: "Laura Clancy"
    job_title: "Research Analyst"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/laura-clancy/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/06/04/most-people-across-36-countries-have-negative-views-of-israel-and-little-confidence-in-netanyahu/"
categories:
  - "Israel Global Image"
  - "Leaders"
---

# Most people across 36 countries have negative views of Israel and little confidence in Netanyahu

![A counterprotester holding an Israeli flag passes a group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marching in Lower Manhattan, New York City, in October 2024. (Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/06/SR_26.06.02_global-views-of-israel_featured.png?w=640)

Majorities in most of the three dozen countries we’ve surveyed this year express an unfavorable view of Israel and little or no confidence in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

These findings come from a Pew Research Center survey conducted Feb. 8-May 13, 2026. Most interviews took place after the United States and Israel launched a military campaign in Iran on Feb. 28.

**About this research**

This Pew Research Center analysis looks at views of Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 36 countries.

#### Why did we do this?

Pew Research Center does research to help the public, media and decision-makers understand important topics. We regularly report on how people in the United States and elsewhere view various countries, and we’ve studied both [U.S. views](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/04/07/negative-views-of-israel-netanyahu-continue-to-rise-among-americans-especially-young-people/) and [global views](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/06/03/most-people-across-24-surveyed-countries-have-negative-views-of-israel-and-netanyahu/) of Israel for years.

Learn more [about Pew Research Center](https://www.pewresearch.org/about/) and our [international surveys](https://www.pewresearch.org/international-surveys/).

#### How did we do this?

We surveyed 44,657 people across 36 countries: Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

We interviewed participants from Feb. 8 to May 13, 2026. We designed the survey so we could talk about the views of the adult population in each country. Here are the [survey questions](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/06/SR_26.06.02_global-views-of-israel_topline.pdf) we used for this analysis, along with responses, and the [survey methodology](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/06/SR_26.06.02_global-views-of-israel_methodology.pdf).

#### Views of Israel

### Large majorities in most countries have negative views of Israel

*% who have a __ opinion of Israel*

| Country | Total unfavorable | Very unfavorable | Somewhat unfavorable | Somewhat favorable | Very favorable | Total favorable | Region |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Canada | 65 | 38 | 27 | 20 | 8 | 28 | North America |
| U.S. | 60 | 28 | 32 | 26 | 11 | 37 | North America |
| Sweden | 78 | 39 | 39 | 16 | 3 | 19 | Europe |
| Spain | 78 | 50 | 28 | 12 | 5 | 17 | Europe |
| Netherlands | 76 | 47 | 29 | 16 | 5 | 20 | Europe |
| Italy | 75 | 48 | 27 | 16 | 5 | 21 | Europe |
| Germany | 73 | 24 | 49 | 20 | 3 | 23 | Europe |
| Poland | 70 | 33 | 37 | 11 | 3 | 15 | Europe |
| U.K. | 69 | 42 | 27 | 18 | 7 | 25 | Europe |
| France | 68 | 36 | 32 | 19 | 5 | 24 | Europe |
| Greece | 65 | 37 | 28 | 21 | 9 | 30 | Europe |
| Hungary | 54 | 25 | 30 | 28 | 4 | 32 | Europe |
| Pakistan | 95 | 87 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 3 | Asia-Pacific |
| Malaysia | 89 | 79 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 11 | Asia-Pacific |
| Indonesia | 86 | 68 | 18 | 9 | 4 | 13 | Asia-Pacific |
| Japan | 83 | 36 | 47 | 12 | 1 | 13 | Asia-Pacific |
| Australia | 79 | 49 | 31 | 15 | 4 | 19 | Asia-Pacific |
| Bangladesh | 79 | 64 | 15 | 8 | 4 | 13 | Asia-Pacific |
| Singapore | 72 | 35 | 36 | 24 | 4 | 28 | Asia-Pacific |
| South Korea | 70 | 32 | 38 | 22 | 5 | 27 | Asia-Pacific |
| Philippines | 64 | 36 | 28 | 22 | 10 | 32 | Asia-Pacific |
| Thailand | 59 | 26 | 33 | 34 | 4 | 38 | Asia-Pacific |
| Sri Lanka | 41 | 24 | 17 | 30 | 10 | 40 | Asia-Pacific |
| India | 28 | 17 | 11 | 20 | 12 | 32 | Asia-Pacific |
| Turkey | 97 | 91 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | Middle East |
| W. Bank/E. Jerusalem | 85 | 80 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | Middle East |
| South Africa | 58 | 44 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 27 | Africa |
| Kenya | 47 | 28 | 20 | 36 | 14 | 50 | Africa |
| Nigeria | 41 | 29 | 11 | 28 | 19 | 47 | Africa |
| Ghana | 36 | 20 | 16 | 31 | 18 | 49 | Africa |
| Chile | 60 | 40 | 20 | 16 | 5 | 22 | Latin America |
| Mexico | 59 | 32 | 27 | 19 | 4 | 23 | Latin America |
| Colombia | 56 | 32 | 24 | 20 | 9 | 29 | Latin America |
| Argentina | 55 | 34 | 22 | 16 | 5 | 21 | Latin America |
| Brazil | 52 | 13 | 39 | 28 | 5 | 33 | Latin America |
| Peru | 50 | 27 | 23 | 22 | 6 | 28 | Latin America |

Note: Those who did not answer are not shown.

Source: Spring 2026 Global Attitudes Survey.

Across the 36 countries, a median of 67% of adults have an unfavorable view of Israel, while 25% have a favorable view.

Views are particularly negative in the Muslim-majority places surveyed, including Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Turkey, and the West Bank and East Jerusalem. (We were unable to survey in Gaza.)

People in all European countries surveyed also give relatively negative assessments of Israel. In Italy, the Netherlands and Spain, around half of adults or more say they have a *very* unfavorable view of the country.

Views of Israel are among the most positive in some of the sub-Saharan African countries surveyed.

#### Differences by age

In several countries – mostly in North America and Europe – younger people have more negative views of Israel than older people do. In Hungary, for example, 72% of those ages 18 to 34 have an unfavorable view of Israel, compared with 45% of those ages 50 and older. (Refer to the [detailed tables](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/06/04/most-people-across-36-countries-have-negative-views-of-israel-and-little-confidence-in-netanyahu/#detailed-tables) for more responses by age.)

***Related:* **[*Negative views of Israel, Netanyahu continue to rise among Americans – especially young people*](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/04/07/negative-views-of-israel-netanyahu-continue-to-rise-among-americans-especially-young-people/)

#### Differences by ideology

### People on the ideological left tend to have more negative views of Israel than those on the right

*% who have an unfavorable view of Israel, by ideology*

| Country | Left | Center | Right | Left-right diff |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| U.S. | 83 | 67 | 37 | 46 |
| Australia | 94 | 85 | 55 | 39 |
| Greece | 90 | 62 | 52 | 38 |
| Spain | 96 | 79 | 66 | 30 |
| Canada | 80 | 71 | 52 | 28 |
| Chile | 79 | 64 | 51 | 28 |
| Sweden | 94 | 80 | 67 | 27 |
| France | 86 | 68 | 60 | 26 |
| South Korea | 82 | 75 | 56 | 26 |
| U.K. | 83 | 70 | 58 | 25 |
| Italy | 88 | 78 | 64 | 24 |
| Netherlands | 90 | 80 | 67 | 23 |
| Germany | 85 | 71 | 63 | 22 |
| Brazil | 66 | 53 | 46 | 20 |
| Colombia | 66 | 56 | 54 | 12 |

Note: Only statistically significant differences are shown. In the U.S., ideology is defined as conservative (right), moderate (center) and liberal (left).

Source: Spring 2026 Global Attitudes Survey.

In many countries, people on the ideological left and right express vastly different views of Israel. This gap in widest in the U.S.: 83% of liberals and 37% of conservatives have an unfavorable view of the country.

In Australia, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden, around nine-in-ten or more among the left have a negative view of Israel. In each of these nations, that share is at least 23 percentage points higher than it is among those on the right.

There are smaller but consistent ideological gaps in nearly every high-income country surveyed, with those on the left expressing more negative views of Israel than those on the right. The same is not consistently true in [middle-income countries](https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/opendata/understanding-country-income--world-bank-group-income-classifica).

(Refer to the [detailed tables](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/06/04/most-people-across-36-countries-have-negative-views-of-israel-and-little-confidence-in-netanyahu/#detailed-tables) for more responses by ideology.)

#### How views of Israel have changed since 2025

While public sentiment toward Israel was already [fairly negative last year](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/06/03/most-people-across-24-surveyed-countries-have-negative-views-of-israel-and-netanyahu/), unfavorable views have become more common in 13 of the 24 countries where we have trend data. In Argentina, for example, a 46% minority had an unfavorable view of Israel in 2025. Today, it’s a 55% majority.

In Australia, Italy, Nigeria, Poland and the United Kingdom, the shares with *very* unfavorable views have also increased by double digits.

Only in Greece have views of Israel warmed since last year. Still, just 30% of Greeks express a positive opinion of the country today.

### Negative views of Israel have become more common in some countries since 2025

*% who have a(n) __ opinion of Israel*

| Country | Category | 2025 | 2026 | Change |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| South Korea | Favorable | 31 | 27 | -4 |
|  | Unfavorable | 60 | 70 | 10 |
| Italy | Favorable | 29 | 21 | -8 |
|  | Unfavorable | 66 | 75 | 9 |
| Germany | Favorable | 31 | 23 | -8 |
|  | Unfavorable | 64 | 73 | 9 |
| Argentina | Favorable | 26 | 21 | -5 |
|  | Unfavorable | 46 | 55 | 9 |
| Nigeria | Favorable | 59 | 47 | -12 |
|  | Unfavorable | 32 | 41 | 9 |
| Poland | Favorable | 16 | 15 | -1 |
|  | Unfavorable | 62 | 70 | 8 |
| U.K. | Favorable | 30 | 25 | -5 |
|  | Unfavorable | 61 | 69 | 8 |
| U.S. | Favorable | 45 | 37 | -7 |
|  | Unfavorable | 53 | 60 | 7 |
| Indonesia | Favorable | 17 | 13 | -4 |
|  | Unfavorable | 80 | 86 | 6 |
| South Africa | Favorable | 34 | 27 | -9 |
|  | Unfavorable | 52 | 58 | 6 |
| Australia | Favorable | 25 | 19 | -6 |
|  | Unfavorable | 74 | 79 | 5 |
| Canada | Favorable | 33 | 28 | -5 |
|  | Unfavorable | 60 | 65 | 5 |
| Turkey | Favorable | 4 | 1 | -3 |
|  | Unfavorable | 93 | 97 | 4 |

Note: Only statistically significant increases in unfavorable opinions are shown. Those who did not answer are not shown.

Source: Spring 2026 Global Attitudes Survey.

#### Confidence in Netanyahu

### Majorities in most countries surveyed lack confidence in Netanyahu

*% who have __ in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to do the right thing regarding world affairs*

| Country | Total no confidence | No confidence at all | Not too much confidence | Some confidence | A lot of confidence | Total confidence | Region |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Canada | 72 | 55 | 17 | 18 | 5 | 23 | North America |
| U.S. | 59 | 35 | 24 | 19 | 8 | 27 | North America |
| Italy | 88 | 62 | 25 | 7 | 2 | 9 | Europe |
| Sweden | 84 | 63 | 21 | 13 | 2 | 14 | Europe |
| Germany | 83 | 53 | 30 | 14 | 1 | 15 | Europe |
| Spain | 82 | 61 | 21 | 8 | 5 | 13 | Europe |
| France | 80 | 61 | 19 | 11 | 3 | 14 | Europe |
| Netherlands | 80 | 62 | 18 | 14 | 3 | 17 | Europe |
| Poland | 77 | 47 | 30 | 7 | 2 | 9 | Europe |
| Greece | 76 | 58 | 18 | 17 | 6 | 22 | Europe |
| U.K. | 75 | 55 | 20 | 16 | 6 | 22 | Europe |
| Hungary | 65 | 35 | 30 | 22 | 4 | 26 | Europe |
| Malaysia | 89 | 76 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 10 | Asia-Pacific |
| Pakistan | 88 | 84 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | Asia-Pacific |
| Indonesia | 83 | 60 | 23 | 11 | 4 | 15 | Asia-Pacific |
| Japan | 81 | 39 | 43 | 10 | 1 | 11 | Asia-Pacific |
| Australia | 78 | 56 | 22 | 12 | 4 | 16 | Asia-Pacific |
| South Korea | 76 | 37 | 39 | 15 | 3 | 18 | Asia-Pacific |
| Singapore | 74 | 39 | 35 | 22 | 3 | 25 | Asia-Pacific |
| Thailand | 71 | 33 | 38 | 21 | 4 | 25 | Asia-Pacific |
| Bangladesh | 68 | 64 | 4 | 15 | 4 | 19 | Asia-Pacific |
| Sri Lanka | 44 | 27 | 17 | 26 | 5 | 32 | Asia-Pacific |
| Philippines | 40 | 21 | 19 | 39 | 14 | 53 | Asia-Pacific |
| India | 28 | 20 | 7 | 24 | 11 | 34 | Asia-Pacific |
| Turkey | 95 | 90 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Middle East |
| W. Bank/E. Jerusalem | 85 | 79 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | Middle East |
| South Africa | 56 | 42 | 14 | 18 | 7 | 25 | Africa |
| Nigeria | 45 | 31 | 13 | 27 | 16 | 43 | Africa |
| Kenya | 39 | 26 | 13 | 37 | 19 | 56 | Africa |
| Ghana | 38 | 20 | 19 | 25 | 13 | 38 | Africa |
| Mexico | 65 | 39 | 26 | 16 | 2 | 18 | Latin America |
| Chile | 64 | 46 | 18 | 10 | 3 | 14 | Latin America |
| Brazil | 64 | 49 | 15 | 15 | 7 | 21 | Latin America |
| Argentina | 63 | 39 | 24 | 10 | 3 | 13 | Latin America |
| Colombia | 63 | 34 | 29 | 16 | 6 | 22 | Latin America |
| Peru | 57 | 31 | 26 | 14 | 3 | 18 | Latin America |

Note: Those who did not answer or said "Never heard of this person" are not shown.

Source: Spring 2026 Global Attitudes Survey.

Majorities in most countries we surveyed say they are not too or not at all confident in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to do the right thing regarding world affairs. This includes more than half of adults in Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, the U.K., and the West Bank and East Jerusalem who say they have *no confidence at all*.

Kenya and the Philippines are the only surveyed countries where more than half of the public has confidence in Netanyahu.

As with views of Israel, views of Netanyahu differ by age and ideology. Younger people and those on the left often express less confidence in him than older people and those on the right do.

- In Hungary, adults under 35 are 23 points more likely to say than those ages 50 and older to say they have little or no confidence in the Israeli leader.

- Those on the left in Australia, Canada, Greece, the Netherlands, Spain and the U.S. are at least 25 points more likely than those on the right to say they have no confidence in Netanyahu. Once again, the largest ideological gap is in the U.S.

For more on differences by age and ideology, refer to the [detailed tables](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/06/04/most-people-across-36-countries-have-negative-views-of-israel-and-little-confidence-in-netanyahu/#detailed-tables).

#### How views of Netanyahu have changed since last year

### People in several countries are growing less confident in Netanyahu's handling of world affairs

*% who have not too much confidence/no confidence at all in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to do the right thing regarding world affairs, by year*

| Country | 2025 | 2026 | Change |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| South Korea | 64 | 76 | 12 |
| Italy | 80 | 88 | 8 |
| Hungary | 57 | 65 | 8 |
| Argentina | 55 | 63 | 8 |
| Germany | 76 | 83 | 7 |
| Indonesia | 76 | 83 | 7 |
| Poland | 70 | 77 | 7 |
| U.K. | 68 | 75 | 7 |
| U.S. | 52 | 59 | 7 |
| Nigeria | 38 | 45 | 7 |
| Sweden | 78 | 84 | 6 |
| Australia | 72 | 78 | 6 |
| Canada | 66 | 72 | 6 |

Note: Only statistically significant changes are shown.

Source: Spring 2026 Global Attitudes Survey.

Confidence in Netanyahu has dropped since 2025 in 13 of the 24 countries where we have trend data.

South Korea has seen the biggest change: 76% of adults now say they are not too or not at all confident in him, up from 64% last year.

In nearly half of the countries where we also asked this last year, the share who say they have *no confidence* *at all* in Netanyahu have increased by double digits. For example, 45% of Italians said this in 2025, compared with 62% today.

*Note: Here are the [survey questions](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/06/SR_26.06.02_global-views-of-israel_topline.pdf) we used for this analysis, along with responses, and the [survey methodology](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/06/SR_26.06.02_global-views-of-israel_methodology.pdf).*

**Detailed tables**

### Views of Israel by age

*% who have a __ opinion of Israel, by age*

| Independent variable | n1 | n2 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Germany | 40 | 60 |
| Spain | 50 | 50 |
| France | 60 | 40 |

Note: Only statistically significant differences between the youngest and oldest age groups are shown. Those who did not answer are not shown.

Source: Spring 2026 Global Attitudes Survey.

### Views of Israel by ideology

*% who have a __ opinion of Israel, by ideology*

| Country | Response | Left | Center | Right |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| U.S. | Favorable | 15 | 31 | 61 |
|  | Unfavorable | 83 | 67 | 37 |
| Canada | Favorable | 15 | 23 | 43 |
|  | Unfavorable | 80 | 71 | 52 |
| France | Favorable | 11 | 24 | 33 |
|  | Unfavorable | 86 | 68 | 60 |
| Germany | Favorable | 14 | 25 | 31 |
|  | Unfavorable | 85 | 71 | 63 |
| Greece | Favorable | 10 | 33 | 45 |
|  | Unfavorable | 90 | 62 | 52 |
| Italy | Favorable | 9 | 20 | 33 |
|  | Unfavorable | 88 | 78 | 64 |
| Netherlands | Favorable | 7 | 16 | 29 |
|  | Unfavorable | 90 | 80 | 67 |
| Poland | Favorable | 11 | 16 | 15 |
|  | Unfavorable | 82 | 71 | 72 |
| Spain | Favorable | 4 | 16 | 30 |
|  | Unfavorable | 96 | 79 | 66 |
| Sweden | Favorable | 4 | 16 | 31 |
|  | Unfavorable | 94 | 80 | 67 |
| U.K. | Favorable | 13 | 25 | 38 |
|  | Unfavorable | 83 | 70 | 58 |
| Australia | Favorable | 6 | 14 | 44 |
|  | Unfavorable | 94 | 85 | 55 |
| South Korea | Favorable | 16 | 23 | 40 |
|  | Unfavorable | 82 | 75 | 56 |
| Brazil | Favorable | 22 | 33 | 44 |
|  | Unfavorable | 66 | 53 | 46 |
| Colombia | Favorable | 24 | 31 | 35 |
|  | Unfavorable | 66 | 59 | 52 |

Note: Only statistically significant differences between the left and right are shown. Those who did not answer are not shown. In the U.S., ideology is defined as conservative (right), moderate (center) and liberal (left).

Source: Spring 2026 Global Attitudes Survey.

### Confidence in Netanyahu by age

*% who have __ in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to do the right thing regarding world affairs, by age*

| Independent variable | n1 | n2 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Germany | 40 | 60 |
| Spain | 50 | 50 |
| France | 60 | 40 |

Note: Only statistically significant differences between the youngest and oldest age groups are shown. Those who did not answer are not shown.

Source: Spring 2026 Global Attitudes Survey.

### Confidence in Netanyahu by ideology

*% who have __ in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to do the right thing regarding world affairs, by ideology*

| Independent variable | n1 | n2 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Germany | 40 | 60 |
| Spain | 50 | 50 |
| France | 60 | 40 |

Note: Only statistically significant differences between the left and right are shown. Those who did not answer are not shown. In the U.S., ideology is defined as conservative (right), moderate (center) and liberal (left).

Source: Spring 2026 Global Attitudes Survey.