More than three quarters of Australians have an unfavourable view of Israel

Australians rank among the world's most critical populations when it comes to views of Israel and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a major new survey by the Pew Research Center.

The findings form part of a broader global trend. Across the 36 countries surveyed, majorities in most nations expressed an unfavourable view of Israel and little or no confidence in Netanyahu.

Australia sits towards the most critical end of the spectrum with 79 per cent of respondents expressing an unfavourable view. Only six countries – Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Malaysia and the West Bank – had a lower level of support for Israel, with another four – Bangladesh, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden – recording similarly high levels of unfavourability. Australia stands out among Anglo-Western democracies, posting more negative views than the US, Canada and Britain.

The findings, drawn from Pew's Spring 2026 Global Attitudes Survey, suggest attitudes have become even more negative over the past year. 

Overall, 79 per cent of Australians now hold an unfavourable view of Israel, including 49 per cent who describe their opinion as "very unfavourable". Just 19 per cent express a favourable view.

The figures represent a further deterioration from 2025, when 74 per cent of Australians held an unfavourable view of Israel and 25 per cent viewed the country favourably. The five-point increase in negative sentiment is among the more significant year-on-year shifts recorded by Pew.