Shibley Telhami, the Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development and Distinguished Scholar-Teacher, has released the latest findings from the University of Maryland Critical Issues Poll. This round focuses on the Trump administration’s actions toward universities and its policy on Israel-Palestine. The article discussing the results also draws on related public opinion data from recent national polls.
Among the key findings: Americans perceive the Trump administration’s actions toward universities as being driven more by a desire to confront administration critics and critics of Israel than by efforts to address antisemitism. In addition, more Americans say the Trump administration “leans toward Israel more than I do” than say they agree with Trump’s position or that it “leans toward Palestinians more than I do”—a result closely aligned with recent Pew data.
Looking across polling from 2023 and 2024, Americans increasingly view accusations of antisemitism as being used more to delegitimize political opponents and critics of Israel than to describe genuinely antisemitic individuals.
The analysis also incorporates findings from recent Pew and Gallup tracking polls, highlighting notable shifts in public attitudes on the Israel-Palestine issue.
