Press Hype? Most College Students Rate Gaza War Least of Their Concerns, Poll Suggests

Two-thirds of respondents found the occupation of campus buildings to be unacceptable, new survey suggests.

AP/Jenny Kane
A student at the University of Oregon is silhouetted in front of a Palestinian flag inside a tent encampment at the university. AP/Jenny Kane

Recent protests on college campuses across the nation regarding Israel’s war in Gaza have garnered significant press attention, but only a tiny percentage of students are participating — or even care about the issue if a new poll is to be believed.

A survey conducted by Generation Lab, which gathered responses from 1,250 college students, found that just 8 percent of students reported participating in protests related to the conflict in Gaza.

Furthermore, when asked to rank the importance of various issues, the conflict in the Middle East was ranked lowest among options such as health care reform, racial justice and civil rights, economic fairness and opportunity, education funding and access, and climate change.

The poll indicates a strong inclination among students to assign blame for the current situation in Gaza, with 34 percent pointing to Hamas, followed by 19 percent blaming Prime Minister Netanyahu. In contrast, 12 percent hold the Israeli people responsible, and another 12 percent attribute some level of blame to President Biden.

The survey also explored students’ attitudes towards the tactics used in the protests. A significant majority, or 81 percent, expressed support for holding protesters accountable for actions such as destroying property, vandalism, or illegally occupying buildings.

In addition, 67 percent of respondents found the occupation of campus buildings to be unacceptable, and 58 percent opposed refusing a university’s order to disperse. Notably, an overwhelming 90 percent of students disagreed with blocking pro-Israel students from accessing parts of campus.

Despite these views on protest tactics, students were more supportive of the pro-Palestinian encampments, with 45 percent expressing some level of support, 30 percent remaining neutral, and 24 percent opposed the encampments either strongly or slightly.


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