Attitudes Toward the Middle East and Ukraine Conflicts

June 11, 2025

From June 6 to 8, 2025, we surveyed Canadians and Americans to explore their views on the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.

Highlights of our survey include…

MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT

  • Canadians are divided on their country’s stance toward Israel: 26% believe Canada is too supportive, 25% say support is about right, and 11% think it is not supportive enough. In the U.S., opinion leans slightly more favorable to Israel, with 32% saying the support is about right and only 24% viewing it as too supportive. A notable portion in both countries express no clear opinion on the matter.
  • When it comes to support for Palestinians, Canadians and Americans show similar results. In Canada, 21% believe their country is not supportive enough of Palestinians, compared to 25% in the U.S. Again, both countries express no clear opinion on the matter. In Canada, more support for Palestinians is especially strong among NDP and Liberal voters, while Conservative voters are more likely to say Canada is already too supportive. In the U.S., Democrats are far more likely than Republicans to feel the country does not support Palestinians enough (38% vs. 10%).
  • On peace prospects, Canadians are more pessimistic: 41% say peace between Israelis and Palestinians cannot be reached, versus 28% who are hopeful. In contrast, Americans are slightly more optimistic: 33% believe peace can be reached, and 34% believe it cannot. However, younger Canadians (18–34) are significantly more hopeful, with 39% believing peace is possible, compared to just 21% among those 55+.
  • On the question of whether Israel is committing “genocide” in Gaza, in Canada, nearly half (49%) agree with the accusation (Liberal and NDP voters are significantly more likely to strongly agree), compared to 38% in the U.S. In the U.S., Democrats are also more likely than Republicans to agree with the accusation (52% vs. 30%). In both countries, almost a third or more of citizens are unsure about the question.

UKRAINE AND RUSSIA CONFLICT

  • Canadian views regarding support for Ukraine generally align with the country’s current actions.  48% say the country’s level of support is about right, 14% not enough, and 17% too supportive, with Liberal voters being more likely to describe Canada as not being supportive enough (21%). By contrast, Americans are more split: 29% say their country is not supportive enough (a significantly higher share than Canada), and only 26% say it is about right. Democrats are much more likely than Republicans to want increased support for Ukraine (43% vs. 19%).
  • On the issue of peace, a plurality of Canadians are optimistic. 42% believe lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia can be achieved, compared to 29% who say it cannot. In the U.S., 40% also believe peace is achievable, while only 26% say it is not. In both countries, however, a significant portion of the population remains uncertain (29% in Canada and 34% in the U.S.), highlighting ongoing confusion or hesitation about how the war may unfold.

Methodology

This web survey on the economy was conducted from June 6 to June 8, 2025, with 1,511 Canadians and 1,011 U.S. residents, 18 years of age or older, randomly recruited from LEO’s online panel.

A margin of error cannot be associated with a non-probability sample in a panel survey. For comparison purposes, a probability sample of this size yields a margin of error no greater than ±2.52%, (19 times out of 20) for the Canadian sample and ±3.08%, (19 times out of 20) for the American sample.

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