A Strong Majority of Voters Support the Ceasefire Deal in Gaza — and a Plurality Give Trump Credit
On January 15, five days before the transfer of presidential power from Joe Biden to Donald Trump, it was announced that Israel and Hamas had finally agreed to a ceasefire deal in Gaza after more than 15 months of fighting. Data for Progress has polled this topic several times since October 2023, consistently finding that a majority of voters support a ceasefire and de-escalation of violence in Gaza.
A new Data for Progress survey examines voters’ perception of this ceasefire proposal.
After being informed of what the ceasefire deal includes, nearly 4 in 5 voters (78%) say they are supportive, including 84% of Democrats, 76% of Independents, and 73% of Republicans.
When asked whom they credit more — Biden or Trump — for the finalized ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, 49% of voters say Trump, while 44% say Biden. Among Independents, a majority (53%) say Trump and 38% say Biden.
Biden ends his presidency with a -18 approval rating for his handling of the Israel-Palestine conflict, while Trump starts with a +12 approval rating for his handling of the conflict.
As to who they think was the larger obstacle to achieving a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, 43% of voters choose “Hamas officials, including Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar,” while 38% say “Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,” and 1 in 5 say they don’t know.
Furthermore, 61% of voters say they would support the U.S. withholding the transfer of arms and weapons to Israel if Israel violates the terms of the ceasefire. In comparison, only around 1 in 4 (26%) say “the U.S. should continue with the transfer of arms and weapons to Israel, even if Israel violates the terms of the ceasefire.”
This survey demonstrates that voters strongly support the newly announced ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, and that a plurality give Trump more credit than Biden. Additionally, while a plurality of voters see Hamas as having been a larger obstacle than Israel to achieving a ceasefire, a majority also say they would support the U.S. withholding the transfer of arms and weapons to Israel if Israel violates the terms of the ceasefire.