American voters who rely on TikTok for news are far less likely to support Israel’s continued existence than other voters, according to fresh polling data obtained by The Daily Wire.
Just 36% of voters who named TikTok as one of their primary news sources support Israel continuing to exist as an independent country. Among voters who do not rely on the platform for news, that figure climbs to 70%, according to a Cygnal survey
A third of TikTok news consumers, 33%, said they oppose Israel’s existence, more than double the 14% of other voters who expressed the same view. Another 31% of TikTok news consumers said they were unsure, compared with 16% of other voters.
The poll also found broad support for Israel’s right to defend its civilians against armed attacks, provided it follows the laws of war. Eighty-five percent of voters said Israel has that right, while just 7% disagreed. Among TikTok news consumers, support was lower at 65%, compared with 86% of other voters.
TikTok has faced years of scrutiny over concerns that its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, could use the platform to influence American public opinion. After facing a potential U.S. ban, TikTok restructured its American operations in January under a majority American-owned joint venture overseeing data security, the recommendation algorithm, and content moderation. ByteDance retains a 19.9% stake, and whether the deal will change what Americans see on the platform remains to be seen.
The findings come amid questions about whether American support for Israel is waning and whether social media is shifting public opinion, particularly among younger voters.
Voters who oppose Israel’s existence are also more likely to rely on websites and social media for news than those who support the Jewish state.
Among voters who strongly oppose Israel’s existence, 18% named TikTok as a primary news source, compared with just 4% of Israel supporters. The divide extended to other digital platforms: 26% of strong opponents cited YouTube, compared with 17% of Israel supporters, while 15% cited X, compared with 9% of supporters.
News websites were the most commonly cited source among strong opponents, at 45%, compared with 27% of Israel supporters. Meanwhile, Israel supporters were more likely to rely on cable news, at 42% versus 29% of strong opponents, and newspapers, at 12% versus 6%.
The differences were particularly pronounced among voters under 45 who oppose Israel’s existence: 23% named TikTok as a primary news source, compared with 8% of voters overall, while 52% cited news media websites and 37% cited YouTube.
Nationally, 67% of likely voters said they support Israel continuing to exist as an independent country, while 16% opposed its existence and 17% were unsure.
Opposition was concentrated among liberal voters, 31% of whom opposed Israel’s existence, compared with 6% of conservatives.
Among Democrats, 53% supported Israel’s continued existence, while 25% opposed it. By contrast, 89% of Republicans supported Israel’s existence, and just 3% opposed it. Independents were more divided, with 58% supporting Israel’s existence and 22% opposing it.
Age was another significant dividing line. Just 52% of voters under 45 supported Israel’s continued existence, compared with 74% of voters ages 45 and older. Opposition stood at 26% among voters under 45, more than twice the 11% recorded among older voters.
The poll also found little appetite among Americans for Hamas to remain in power in Gaza with its weapons intact.
Just 6% of voters said Hamas should govern Gaza and retain its armed forces. A majority, 51%, said the terrorist organization should have no role in governing the territory, while 13% said it should be allowed to participate in politics only if it disarms. Thirty percent were unsure.
Even among voters who opposed Israel’s continued existence, just 17% said Hamas should govern Gaza while retaining its armed forces. Thirty-nine percent of that group said Hamas should have no role in governing the territory, while 15% said it could participate in politics only if it disarmed.
Cygnal surveyed 1,500 likely voters nationwide from October 6-9. The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.53 percentage points.
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