Daily Alert Archives

Trump's Gaza Plan: What Do Americans Think and Does Biased Messaging Influence Opinion?

(Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs) Irwin J. Mansdorf and Tirza Shorr - President Trump has recently raised the possibility of "relocating" Palestinians from Gaza to neighboring countries while Gaza is "cleaned up." We tested two matched random groups of 255 Americans for their opinions on the plan. We also provided each group with an introduction that either was biased for the plan or against it. Prior to being presented with the plan, both groups were queried on their sympathy toward Israel, Hamas, and the Palestinians. Results showed strong sympathy for Israel versus Hamas but more nuanced sympathy when asked about "Palestinians, but not Hamas" and sympathy for "both sides" equally. The group that received the biased pro-plan message showed a considerable uptick in agreement for the plan than did the group that received an anti-plan message. Results indicate that Trump's plan potentially has substantial support in the U.S. and that messaging promoting it can bolster that support. Dr. Irwin J. Mansdorf is a senior fellow and analyst in political psychology at the Jerusalem Center, where Tirza Shorr is a senior researcher and program coordinator.
2025-02-06 00:00:00
Full Article