Poll Watch Daily

The drama at this year’s annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly is focused on the Palestinian Authority’s decision to asked the Security Council to approve full membership in the U.N. for a Palestinian state — a move the Obama administration has arduously tried to head off, and has promised to veto if it passes.

But the American public appears far from transfixed by the issue and the results are mixed when asked if the Palestine should be recognized as an independent nation, according to a Pew Research Center/Washington Post poll conducted Sept. 15-18.

Forty-two percent said the Palestinians should get recognition as a nation, compared to 26 percent who disagreed, with a large number of those surveyed (32 percent) expressing no opinion.

Republicans oppose a Palestinian state by 38 percent to 27 percent, with 35 percent expressing no opinion; Democrats favor the idea by 52 percent to 14 percent with 32 percent in the “don’t know” column; and, independents share the Democrats’ view by 45 percent to 28 percent, with 27 percent answering “don’t know.”

Most of those surveyed (50 percent) said they had heard a little about the story and 37 percent said they had heard nothing about it. Another 37 percent said they had heard a lot. Forty-seven percent of those who said they have heard a lot oppose recognition of Palestine.

As far as overall allegiances, 40 percent of Americans said they sympathize more with the Israelis compared to 10 percent who sympathize more with the Palestinians, with the rest sympathizing with neither or expressing no opinion.

The lack of focus on the issue extends to opinion on how President Obama is handling the situation in the Middle East. Thirty-eight percent said they had no opinion, 37 percent said Obama was striking the right balance, 20 percent said he favors the Palestinians too much and 5 percent said he favors Israel too much.

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