The Jewish Democratic Council of America released its September 2024 National Poll of Jewish Voters, which shows broad support among those polled for U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and a clear deprioritizing of Israel as a factor in their vote.
The survey, conducted from Aug. 27 through Sept. 1, asked 800 Jewish registered voters 48 questions. They first assessed demographics, Jewish background, denominations of religious practice, party preferences and ideological self-identification.
While all participants identified as Jewish, 76% named Judaism as their religion, while others chose atheism (8%), agnosticism (5%), “something else” (2%) or “nothing in particular” (9%).
On ideology, the 800 Jews were divided into 44% liberal, 38% moderate, 16% conservative and 2% unsure.
Later questions asked for opinions on ranking societal and other issues, in addition to who survey participants intended to vote for in the November presidential election. Harris led former President Donald Trump by a 72%-25% margin.
In response to “How emotionally attached are you to Israel?” some 75% answered “very” or “somewhat,” while 25% chose “not too” or “not at all attached.” Israel ranked low on influencing votes, where it tied for ninth along with “Social Security and Medicare” on a ranking of 11 issues. “The future of democracy” topped the list; abortion ranked second.
While most (40%) said the Biden administration’s policies on Israel would not influence their vote, 36% said the president’s approach made them more likely to vote for Harris and 24% felt less likely.
Those surveyed definitively showed opposition to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with 30% holding favorable opinions compared to 63% unfavorable.