In the poll, 83 percent of respondents said October 7 was a terror attack, while 17% said it was not. Broken down by age group, 94% of respondents aged over 65 said the attack — in which some 1,200 people were killed and 253 were taken hostage — was terrorism, while 74% of those aged 18-24 said the same.
In addition, 74% of respondents said Hamas’s attack was genocidal and 75% of all respondents said the assault could not be justified by Palestinian grievances. These answers varied widely by age group, with younger Americans less favorable to Israel. Some 54% of respondents aged 18-24 said the attacks were not justified, compared to 78% among participants aged 45-54, 87% of those aged 54-65, and 92% of those aged over 65.
Eighty percent of all respondents also said they support Israel more over Hamas, including 57% among those aged 18-24, about 70% for those aged 25-44, 80% of 45-54 year olds, 90% of those 54-65, and 93% of those over 65.
Most respondents, 69%, said Israel was trying to avoid civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip, and 66% said Israel was just trying to defend itself. Some 34% said they believe Israel was “committing genocide” in Gaza and not acting in self-defense, a figure that jumped to 57% between those aged 18-24 and 50% among the 25-34 years-old bracket. READ MORE