All Israel
EXCLUSIVE POLL

New poll finds half of all Americans – and almost 60% of Evangelicals – believe mainstream media ‘unfair, dishonest and biased against Israel’

Survey reveals that some 46 million Americans are downright “angry” at the media’s coverage of Israel and looking for a new source of information that is honest and fair

Half of all Americans believe mainstream media is biased against Israel. (Photo: Shutterstock; edited by All Israel News staff)

WASHINGTON, D.C.–As President Joe Biden prepares to visit Israel and Saudi Arabia from July 13 to 15, the eyes of the global mainstream media will be trained on the citizens and leaders of the epicenter as they cover the Biden trip every step of the way.

Yet an exclusive new poll commissioned by ALL ISRAEL NEWS reveals that Americans have a staggeringly low degree of trust in the mainstream media, and a significant degree of outright anger at journalists and their editors for how they cover events and trends affecting the Jewish state.

What’s more, the survey reveals that a large number of Americans describe themselves as downright “angry” at the mainstream media and want to find a new source of news and analysis to help them understand what’s happening in Israel and why it should matter to them.

Among American Evangelicals, the survey revealed far lower trust in the mainstream media than the general population.

That said, the survey also found there is a noteworthy gap between how Evangelicals of different races view the media.

The term “mainstream media” generally refers to well-known newsgathering corporations and organizations in the U.S. and around the world operating in the print, broadcast, cable, and/or digital spaces. These include the New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN, MSNBC, and the major broadcast news networks, among others.

Here is the specific question that we asked:

When it comes to media coverage of Israel, which statement best reflects  your view?

1. Overall, I trust the mainstream media and believe that they cover news about Israel fairly and honestly.

2. I do not trust the mainstream media and believe that too often their coverage of Israel is unfair, dishonest, and biased against Israel.

3. I am angry with much of the mainstream media, I believe that far too often its coverage of Israel is terribly unfair, dishonest, and extremely biased against Israel, and I wish I could find a news service covering Israel I could trust.

Here are the results:

  • Only 30% of Americans aged 18 and older who were surveyed say they trust the mainstream media’s coverage of Israel

  • Half of all Americans (49%) say they do not trust the mainstream media’s coverage of Israel or are downright angry about the media and looking for an alternative source of news and information about Israel.

  • Of these, nearly a third of all Americans (31%) say they do not trust the media’s coverage of Israel because they find such coverage is too often “unfair, dishonest and biased against Israel.”

  • Nearly 1-in-5 Americans (18%) say that they are angry at the media and looking for a news service covering Israel that they can trust. 

  • Some 20% of Americans said they don’t know how they feel about the media’s coverage of Israel

Particularly significant is the fact that 18% of Americans are so turned off by the mainstream media’s dishonesty and bias against Israel that they are interested in finding a news service covering Israel that they can trust.

How many people does this figure represent?

According to the U.S. Census in 2020, there are 258.3 million Americans aged 18 or over.

That means 46 million Americans of all religions, races and regions wish they could find a credible, honest, trustworthy alternative source of news and analysis regarding Israel and the Middle East.

When it comes specifically to born again Evangelical Christians, the numbers are even more striking.

  • Only 25.6% of American Evangelicals say they trust the mainstream media’s coverage of Israel

  • Almost 6-in-10 Evangelicals (57.4%) say they do not trust the mainstream media’s coverage of Israel or are downright angry about the media and looking for an alternative source of news and information about Israel.

  • Of these, 38.7% say they do not trust the media’s coverage of Israel because they find such coverage is too often “unfair, dishonest, and biased against Israel.”

  • Nearly 1-in-5 Americans (18.8%) say that they are angry at the media and looking for a news service covering Israel that they can trust. 

  • 17% said they don’t know how they feel about the media’s coverage of Israel

The exclusive national poll was conducted by McLaughlin & Associates, a nationally known and widely respected polling firm that has conducted scientific opinion surveys over the years for corporations, non-profit organizations, Members of Congress, and American presidents, as well as for foreign leaders, including in the State of Israel.

Taken during the period between June 17 and 22, 2022, the poll asked questions of 1,000 Americans aged 18 and over. 

The survey has a 3.1% margin of error, plus or minus, at a 95% confidence interval.

Near East Media – which oversees ALL ISRAEL NEWS and ALL ARAB NEWS – is a non-profit, non-partisan, and non-political organization incorporated in the State of Virginia. The purpose of this survey was to better understand how the American people view events and trends in Israel and the Arab/Muslim world. The results are not intended for partisan political purposes, or to influence legislation at the international, federal, state, or local levels.    

Let’s dig deeper into the data.

BY RELIGION

  • Evangelical born-again Christians

    • As noted above, only 25.6% of all Evangelicals say they trust the mainstream media’s coverage of Israel

      • That said, there is a notable gap between how Evangelicals of different races view the matter

      • Only 18.4% of White Evangelicals trust the media 

      • Yet 44.7% of Black Evangelicals trust the media

      • And 47.1% of Hispanic Evangelicals trust the media

    • Overall, 57.4% of all Evangelicals say they do not trust the media’s coverage of Israel – but again, there is a racial divide

      • 65.9% of White Evangelicals do not trust the media

      • But only 33.9% of Black Evangelicals do not trust the media

      • 43.1% of Hispanic Evangelicals do not trust the media

    • Overall, 18.8% of all Evangelicals say they are downright angry at the media’s coverage of Israel and looking for a news service they can trust – but yet again the racial divide is pronounced

      • 24.2% of White Evangelicals are angry and looking for a new source of Israel and Mideast news 

      • Only 2.4% of Black Evangelicals are angry and looking for a new source of news

      • 10.3% of Hispanic Evangelicals are angry and looking for a new source of news 

    • 17% of all Evangelicals don’t know how they feel about the media’s coverage of Israel

      • 15.7% of White Evangelicals say they don’t know how they feel

      • 21.4% of Black Evangelicals say they don’t know how they feel

      • 9.7% of Hispanic Evangelicals say they don’t know how they feel

  • Protestants

    • 28.1% say they trust the media’s coverage of Israel

    • 51.3% say they do not trust the media’s coverage of Israel

      • 33.9% do not trust because the media is dishonest and biased against Israel

      • 17.4% are angry at the media’s coverage of Israel and looking for a news service they can trust

    • 20.6% don’t know how they feel about the media’s coverage of Israel

  • Catholics

    • 32.5% say they trust the media’s coverage of Israel

    • 52.2% say they do not trust the media’s coverage of Israel

      • 31.5% do not trust because the media is dishonest and biased against Israel

      • 20.7% are angry at the media’s coverage of Israel and looking for a news service they can trust

    • 15.3% don’t know how they feel about the media’s coverage of Israel

  • Jews

    • 47.4% say they trust the media’s coverage of Israel

    • 50.8% say they do not trust the media’s coverage of Israel

      • 20.2% do not trust because the media is dishonest and biased against Israel

      • 30.6% are angry at the media’s coverage of Israel and looking for a news service they can trust

    • 1.8% say they don’t know how they feel about the media’s coverage of Israel

BY RACE

  • Whites

    • 28.1% say they trust the media’s coverage of Israel

    • 52.2% say they do not trust the media’s coverage of Israel

      • 31.5% do not trust because the media is dishonest and biased against Israel

      • 20.6% are angry at the media’s coverage of Israel and looking for a news service they can trust

    • 19.7% say they don’t know how they feel about the media’s coverage of Israel

  • African Americans

    • 40.8% say they trust the media’s coverage of Israel

    • 34.1% say they do not trust the media’s coverage of Israel

      • 24.8% do not trust because the media is dishonest and biased against Israel

      • 9.4% are angry at the media’s coverage of Israel and looking for a news service they can trust

    • 25.1% say they don’t know how they feel about the media’s coverage of Israel

  • Hispanic Americans

    • 32.7% say they trust the media’s coverage of Israel

    • 50.8% say they do not trust the media’s coverage of Israel

      • 34.6% Do not trust because the media is dishonest and biased against Israel

      • 16.2% say they are angry at the media’s coverage of Israel and looking for a news service they can trust

    • 16.6% say they don’t know how they feel about the media’s coverage of Israel

  • Asian Americans

    • 28.0% say they trust the media’s coverage of Israel

    • 30.5% say they do not trust the media’s coverage of Israel

      • 27.9% do not trust because the media is dishonest and biased against Israel

      • 2.6% are angry at the media’s coverage of Israel and looking for a news service they can trust

    • 41.5% say they don’t know how they feel about the media’s coverage of Israel


BY REGION

  • Americans who live in the East

    • 34.8% say they trust the media’s coverage of Israel

    • 46.4% say they do not trust the media’s coverage of Israel

      • 27.5% do not trust because the media is dishonest and biased against Israel

      • 18.8% are angry at the media’s coverage of Israel and looking for a news service they can trust

    • 18.8% say they don’t know how they feel about the media’s coverage of Israel

  • Americans who live in the Midwest

    • 29.5% say they trust the media’s coverage of Israel

    • 52.3% say they do not trust the media’s coverage of Israel

      • 36.4% do not trust because the media is dishonest and biased against Israel

      • 15.9% are angry at the media’s coverage of Israel and looking for a news service they can trust

    • 18.2% say they don’t know how they feel about the media’s coverage of Israel

  • Americans who live in the South

    • 28.1% say they trust the media’s coverage of Israel

    • 49.0% say they do not trust the media’s coverage of Israel

      • 30% do not trust because the media is dishonest and biased against Israel

      • 19% are angry at the media’s coverage of Israel and looking for a news service they can trust

    • 22.9% say they don’t know how they feel about the media’s coverage of Israel

  • Americans who live in the West

    • 31.8% say they trust the media’s coverage of Israel

    • 48.6% say they do not trust the media’s coverage of Israel

      • 30.2% do not trust because the media is dishonest and biased against Israel

      • 18.4% are angry at the media’s coverage of Israel and looking for a news service they can trust

    • 19.6% say they don’t know how they feel about the media’s coverage of Israel

BY AGE

  • Young people, ages 18 to 29

    • 31% say they trust the media’s coverage of Israel

    • 51.1% say they do not trust the media’s coverage of Israel

      • 33.1% do not trust because the media is dishonest and biased against Israel

      • 18.0% are angry at the media’s coverage of Israel and looking for a news service they can trust

    • 17.9% say they don’t know how they feel about the media’s coverage of Israel

  • Americans between the ages of 30 and 40

    • 32.7% say they trust the media’s coverage of Israel

    • 43.7% say they do not trust the media’s coverage of Israel

      • 31.7% do not trust because the media is dishonest and biased against Israel

      • 12.0% are angry at the media’s coverage of Israel and looking for a news service they can trust

    • 23.6% say they don’t know how they feel about the media’s coverage of Israel

  • Americans between the ages of 41 and 55

    • 28.6% say they trust the media’s coverage of Israel

    • 44.2% say they do not trust the media’s coverage of Israel

      • 32.3% do not trust because the media is dishonest and biased against Israel

      • 11.9% are angry at the media’s coverage of Israel and looking for a news service they can trust

    • 27.2% say they don’t know how they feel about the media’s coverage of Israel

  • Americans between the ages 56 and 65

    • 28.6% say they trust the media’s coverage of Israel

    • 55.8% say they do not trust the media’s coverage of Israel

      • 29.5% do not trust because the media is dishonest and biased against Israel

      • 26.4% are angry at the media’s coverage of Israel and looking for a news service they can trust

    • 15.4% say they don’t know how they feel about the media’s coverage of Israel

  • Americans over the age of 65

    • 31.8% say they trust the media’s coverage of Israel

    • 51.4% say they do not trust the media’s coverage of Israel

      • 28.8% do not trust because the media is dishonest and biased against Israel

      • 22.6% are angry at the media’s coverage of Israel and looking for a news service they can trust

    • 16.8% say they don’t know how they feel about the media’s coverage of Israel

BY GENDER

  • Men

    • 28.8% say they trust the media’s coverage of Israel

    • 58.3% say they do not trust the media’s coverage of Israel

      • 35.3% do not trust because the media is dishonest and biased against Israel

      • 23% are angry at the media’s coverage of Israel and looking for a news service they can trust

    • 12.9% say they don’t know how they feel about the media’s coverage of Israel

  • Women

    • 31.8% say they trust the media’s coverage of Israel

    • 40.8% say they do not trust the media’s coverage of Israel

      • 27% do not trust because the media is dishonest and biased against Israel

      • 13.8% are angry at the media’s coverage of Israel and looking for a news service they can trust

    • 27.4% say they don’t know how they feel about the media’s coverage of Israel

BY POLITICAL AFFILIATION

  • Republicans

    • 13.4% say they trust the media’s coverage of Israel

    • 74.3% say they do not trust the media’s coverage of Israel

      • 44.2% do not trust because the media is dishonest and biased against Israel

      • 30.1% are angry at the media’s coverage of Israel and looking for a news service they can trust

    • 12.3% say they don’t know how they feel about the media’s coverage of Israel

  • Democrats

    • 50.2% say they trust the media’s coverage of Israel

    • 24.5% say they do not trust the media’s coverage of Israel

      • 18.4% do not trust because the media is dishonest and biased against Israel

      • 6.1% are angry at the media’s coverage of Israel and looking for a news service they can trust

    • 25.2% say they don’t know how they feel about the media’s coverage of Israel

  • Independents

    • 25.9% say they trust the media’s coverage of Israel

    • 49.5% say they do not trust the media’s coverage of Israel

      • 30.7% do not trust because the media is dishonest and biased against Israel

      • 18.8% are angry at the media’s coverage of Israel and looking for a news service they can trust

    • 24.7% say they don’t know how they feel about the media’s coverage of Israel

  • Americans who voted for Trump in 2020

    • 10.7% say they trust the media’s coverage of Israel

    • 75.5% say they do not trust the media’s coverage of Israel

      • 45.4% do not trust because the media is dishonest and biased against Israel

      • 30.2% are angry at the media’s coverage of Israel and looking for a news service they can trust

    • 13.8% say they don’t know how they feel about the media’s coverage of Israel

  • Americans who voted for Biden in 2020

    • 48.6% say they trust the media’s coverage of Israel

    • 25.0% say they do not trust the media’s coverage of Israel

      • 17.5% do not trust because the media is dishonest and biased against Israel

      • 7.4% are angry at the media’s coverage of Israel and looking for a news service they can trust

    • 26.4% say they don’t know how they feel about the media’s coverage of Israel

Joel C. Rosenberg is the editor-in-chief of ALL ISRAEL NEWS and ALL ARAB NEWS and the President and CEO of Near East Media. A New York Times best-selling author, Middle East analyst, and Evangelical leader, he lives in Jerusalem with his wife and sons.

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