How Ideology and Identity Shape Student Views towards Israel and Jews

• In Event: Antisemitism in American Politics

Abstract

This paper examines a survey of 2,500 U.S. four-year college students fielded in the fall of 2023, in the midst of the Israel-Hamas war. The paper examines how views about Israel and about the conflict vary by ideological identity (e.g., leftist, socialist, progressive) as well as by racial group (e.g., African-American) and LGBT status. The sample size and the characteristics of the current four-year college population permit a novel investigation into attitudes within subpopulations, such as LGBT versus straight socialists or African-American versus White leftists. The analysis will offer an answer to the question of whether attitudes toward this conflict are better explained by political ideology or social identities. The paper will situate the findings into a broader set of research on ideology, issue positions, and social identity.

Authors

• Eitan D. Hersh, Tufts University

• Laura Royden, Harvard University