Russian Youth More Favorable Toward Israel than Older Generations

Introduction

Unlike most Western and Western-aligned countries, Israel refused to sanction or cut ties with Russia after it invaded Ukraine in 2022 and has since maintained its neutrality in the conflict. At the time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin had a close personal relationship that had sustained warm relations between their countries for over a decade. However, their relationship cooled in 2023, as Russia and Iran began to develop a major bilateral agreement to expand their military, economic, and political cooperation that was signed just last week.

Relations between Israel and Russia further deteriorated in the aftermath of Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack against Israel. Putin refused to designate the group as a terrorist organization and instead invited a delegation from Hamas to Moscow for peace talks, calling for a two-state solution to the longstanding conflict.

Data from a joint Chicago Council on Global Affairs and Levada Analytical Center survey, fielded September 26-October 2, 2024, finds that most Russians share Putin’s view of the conflict and believe Israeli military operations in Gaza are unjustified. However, the data reveal some differences in attitudes toward the war between young Russians and those from older generations.

Young Russians are Less Critical of Israeli Military Operations in Gaza

Despite the Kremlin’s diplomatic support for the Palestinian people, most Russians do not side with either party in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (57%). However, among those who do choose a side, more side with Palestinians (28%) than with Israelis (6%). Young Russians are more likely to say they want to remain neutral in the conflict than older generations, who, by comparison, are less likely to be impartial and much more likely to side with Palestinians. Less than two in 10 Russians between 18-34 (14%) place themselves on the side of Palestinians, compared to four in 10 of the oldest cohort (40%).

Russian youth also have different opinions on Israel’s military operations in Gaza since the October 7, 2023, attack. Most Russians (59%) believe Israel has gone too far and its military actions are not justified, but young Russians are the least likely to say so (45%). In fact, they are nearly 30 percentage points less likely to say Israel has gone too far than the oldest cohort of Russians (70%). By contrast, they are the age group most likely to say Israel is justified and defending its interests (22%) or decline to answer the question entirely (33%).

…. and View Israel and the United States More Favorably

As the United States’ closest ally in the Middle East, Israel is likely perceived by Russians as being aligned with the West and is, as a result, viewed unfavorably by much of the population. Half of Russians express a negative view of Israel (51%), while less than a third (27%) say they feel very or somewhat good about the country.

Young Russians are divided in their views of Israel, as nearly as many express a negative opinion (37%) as express a positive one (42%). However, they are much more likely than older Russians—majorities of whom express a negative view—to say they feel positively about Israel.

In the same vein, Russian youth are more likely to think Israel plays a positive role in resolving the key challenges facing the Middle East (23%) than other age groups, though nearly half (48%) contend that the country plays a negative role in the region. On this they differ from most Russians overall, who believe Israel plays a negative role in resolving regional challenges (60%), second only to the United States (71% negative role), which is viewed the most negatively. On the other hand, the majority of Russians (82%) believe their own country plays the most positive role in the region, followed by Iran (43%).

Russian youth also place less blame on the United States or Israel for the continued bloodshed and instability faced by the Middle East than do older Russians. Young Russians are the least likely to say that Israel (16%) or the United States and other Western countries (30%) are responsible for the conflict in the Middle East and are the most likely to place blame on Hamas and the Palestinians (12%) or no one in particular (16%).

Among the broader population, most consider the United States and other Western countries most responsible for the continued bloodshed and instability in the Middle East (38%)—even more than Israel (22%) or Hamas (8%).

Social Media Contributes to Young Russians’ Alternative Views

Overall, pluralities of both Russian youth and older generations do not side with either party in the conflict, believe Israeli military operations in Gaza have gone too far, and blame the United States and other Western countries for the continued bloodshed in the region. However, younger Russians do so to a lesser extent than their elders and view Israel, the United States, and the West through a relatively more positive lens.

Why might this be? A February 2024 Chicago Council-Levada Center survey of just the youth population finds that they primarily receive their news and information about the world from digital media sources, like social media platforms, Telegram channels, and blogs. Unlike older generations, who most often turn to traditional, state-controlled media outlets like television, radio, and newspapers for their news, young Russians are exposed to more diverse sources of information online that are less censored and restricted by the Russian government. As a result, their political sentiments and views of Russian foreign policies differ from those of older generations, who are more likely to accept state narratives that are propagated through traditional media outlets.

Conclusion

Despite the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria and Russia’s withdrawal from the country, Putin’s diplomatic support for the Palestinians, Hamas, and Iran has helped to counter Western influence in the Middle East and emphasize Russia’s role in the region. While young Russians share Putin’s anti-Western outlook on the conflict, they may be more likely to give Israel the benefit of the doubt than older generations of Russians.

Generational differences in views toward the Israel-Gaza war may exist as a result of the youth population’s exposure to diverse narratives and sources of information online. In the current atmosphere that squelches dissent or protest in Russia, it is possible that young Russians may be projecting their position on their own country’s war in Ukraine onto their views of the war in the Middle East. Russian youth are far less likely than their elders to personally support the military operation in Ukraine and could be voicing some opposition to the state’s official narratives about both conflicts.