Detroit-Area Voters Widely Support a Permanent Ceasefire in Gaza
By Anika Dandekar
Data for Progress’ national polling has found strong support for a permanent ceasefire and de-escalation of violence in Gaza, as well as strong support for providing humanitarian aid to the region. As the civilian death toll in the region continues to rise, there has been increased pressure on the Biden administration to exert its influence over Israel, and much discussion over how the president’s approach to this conflict will impact his standing among voters.
New polling from Data for Progress and We the People-Michigan, which surveyed likely voters in the Detroit area (Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw, and Wayne counties), finds strong support for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
Two-thirds of Detroit-area voters say they support the U.S. calling for a permanent ceasefire and de-escalation of violence in Gaza, including majorities of Democrats (80%) and Independents (66%), as well as a plurality of Republicans (49%). Black voters and white voters in the Detroit area support a permanent ceasefire by respective net margins of +43 and +41 points. These findings are similar to other research done recently in the state. A poll of likely Democratic voters in Michigan conducted by Lake Research Partners between October 30 and November 2 found that a majority of Michigan Democrats supported a ceasefire.
A majority of Detroit-area voters (53%) say they disapprove of Joe Biden’s handling of the Israel-Palestine conflict, including 40% of Democrats, 55% of Independents, and 69% of Republicans. A majority (52%) of white voters and 37% of Black voters also disapprove.
Among voters who disapprove of Biden’s handling of the issue, a plurality (44%) say they believe Biden’s approach has been too pro-Israel, while 30% say his approach has been too pro-Palestine or pro-Hamas.
However, when voters are reasked if they would approve or disapprove of Biden’s handling of the Israel-Palestine issue if he did call for a permanent ceasefire and de-escalation of violence in Gaza, a majority of voters in the Detroit area (54%) say they would then approve of the president’s handling of the issue. Biden’s net approval rating on the Israel-Palestine issue jumps by 34 points among Detroit-area voters in this hypothetical scenario, and he also sees increases in net approval from Democrats (55 points), Independents (35 points), Republicans (7 points), white voters (25 points), and Black voters (43 points) in the region.
This survey underscores that likely voters in the Detroit area disapprove of President Biden’s handling of the Israel-Palestine conflict, with a plurality of voters who disapprove saying that his approach has been too pro-Israel. A strong majority of Detroit-area voters approve of a permanent ceasefire, and this polling indicates that Biden’s net approval rating on the Israel-Palestine issue would improve among these voters if he were to take such a position.
Anika Dandekar (@AnikaDandekar) is a senior analyst at Data for Progress.
Survey Methodology
From December 8 to 13, 2023, Data for Progress conducted a survey of 718 likely voters pooled across the following Michigan counties using SMS and web panel respondents: Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw, and Wayne. The sample was weighted to be representative of likely voters by age, gender, education, race, geography, and voting history. The sample was also weighted to account for oversamples of voters of color to ensure proportional representation of likely voters. The survey was conducted in English. The margin of error is ±4 percentage points.