Around 78% of Britons view Israel as a serious threat to world peace, survey finds

Around four in five Britons view Israel as a serious threat to world peace, according to a new survey by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), published last week.A total of 78% of respondents said they view Israel as a serious threat, compared with 48% 20 years ago. The percentage has also increased a full 10% in the last year.

The number of respondents who said they view the US as a serious threat to world peace was similar to the number for Israel, at 74%. This had doubled in just two years, with the same question receiving 35% in 2024.The country deemed the highest threat to world peace was Russia (89%), followed by Israel, Iran (75%), the USA, North Korea (66%), China (62%) and Saudi Arabia (34%). Israel has surpassed North Korea in the last year.Analyzing the trend, NatCen said Israel's reputation has “seemingly suffered from its involvement in recent Middle East conflict.”“Two decades ago, a little under half regarded Israel as a serious threat to peace.

By the autumn of 2024, by which point Gaza had suffered heavy damage in the wake of Israel's response to the Hamas incursion on October 7, 2023, nearly three-quarters felt that way. And although that figure subsequently dropped a little in the autumn, to around two-thirds, in the subsequent survey this spring, following the Iran bombing campaign, 78% now saw Israel as a serious threat to global peace.”“It is, of course, plausible that, rather than simply judging Israel solely on the basis of its own actions, some people in Britain may fear the risk that developments involving Israel could trigger a much broader regional confrontation, as a catalyst for wider geopolitical instability in the Middle East.”Views on Israel vary across political spectrumViews on Israel also differed significantly by political affiliation.

Conservative and Reform supporters were less likely than Labour, Liberal Democrat, and Green supporters to regard Israel or the US as serious threats, while being more likely to view China, North Korea, and Iran as threats.

The divide was particularly pronounced between Green and Reform supporters. Green voters were 26 percentage points more likely than Reform supporters to view Israel as a serious threat, and 46 points more likely to say the same of the US. Conversely, Reform supporters were more likely to regard China, North Korea, and Iran as threats, with gaps of 29, 30, and 35 points, respectively.Views vary across age rangeAnother trend is that younger Britons are more likely than older generations to view the US and Israel as threats to global peace, suggesting a generational shift away from traditional perceptions of Britain's democratic allies.“The findings suggest an important communication challenge for the government, which is central to its legitimacy to pursue the national interest,” NatSec wrote.

“Public consensus appears strongest where threats are immediate, visible, and easily understood, as in the case of Russia.“By contrast, where security challenges are gradual, technologically complex, or strategically indirect, as with China, perceptions differ somewhat by age and political outlook. The patterns are even more complex when they pertain to established allies currently pursuing more high-risk foreign policies, such as the United States and Israel.”