Data for the Skeptic Research Center’s Israel-Hamas study was collected on October 16th, 2023 using the survey company 1Q.
The total sample size for the study was 1567 American adults. The sample skews very slightly toward women (52.3% of participants), most participants (85.8%) have a high school or a college degree and 65.5% identify as white. Just under a third (30.2%) of the sample identify as Democrats, and about a quarter (24.5%) identify as Republicans with the remainder identifying as either politically non-affiliated (26.6%) or “other” (18.7%).
Survey questions inquired about a number of topics related to the 2023 Israel-Hamas War. In the survey, we assessed both peoples’ attitudes towards the war as well as their accuracy about pertinent regional and cultural facts. We will be regularly releasing charts depicting our findings.
For further sample details, please download the supplemental file.
REPORT (IHS-001)
The Israel-Hamas War
First report in the Israel-Hamas Study (IHS)
After decades of back-and-forth conflicts, with Israel generally getting the upper hand but failing to stem the growth of terrorist cells in Palestine, on October 7th, 2023, at around 6 AM, Hamas militants launched a sneak attack, murdering over 1,400 Israelis (including children), injuring over 4,500, and taking over 200 Israelis as hostages (Hutchinson, 2023). In response to these attacks, the Israeli government formally declared war against Hamas. The war has led to the estimated deaths of over 10,000 Gazans. Because this new escalation to war is barely a month old, we should expect these statistics to be revised and updated over time; we are amidst the fog of war. Nevertheless, it is clear that relations between Israel and Palestine have reached a new low, and that war is underway. In light of this, in this report, we ask: What do Americans think about this conflict and how accurate are they about the known facts?
Suggested Citation: McCaffree, K., & Saide, A. (2023). The Israel-Hamas War. Skeptic Research Center, IHS-001.
