78% of Britons see Israel as a serious threat to world peace, NatCen survey finds

Nearly four in five Britons consider Israel a serious threat to world peace, according to a new survey published last week by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen). The survey found that 78% of respondents viewed Israel as a serious threat, up from 48% two decades ago. The figure has also risen by 10 percentage points over the past year. A similar proportion of respondents, 74%, considered the United States a serious threat to world peace. This represents more than a doubling in just two years, compared with 35% who expressed the same view in 2024.

Russia was identified as the greatest threat to world peace, with 89% of respondents expressing concern. Israel ranked second, followed by Iran at 75%, the US at 74%, North Korea at 66%, China at 62% and Saudi Arabia at 34%. Israel has also overtaken North Korea over the past year in the proportion of Britons who regard it as a serious threat. Explaining the changing perception, NatCen said Israel’s reputation has “seemingly suffered from its involvement in recent Middle East conflict.”

The research organisation highlighted the significant shift in public opinion over the past two decades. “Two decades ago, a little under half regarded Israel as a serious threat to peace. By the autumn of 2024, by which point Gaza had suffered heavy damage in the wake of Israel’s response to the Hamas incursion on October 7, 2023, nearly three-quarters felt that way. And although that figure subsequently dropped a little in the autumn, to around two-thirds, in the subsequent survey this spring, following the Iran bombing campaign, 78% now saw Israel as a serious threat to global peace.”

NatCen also suggested that concerns may extend beyond Israel's direct actions to the possibility of a wider regional conflict. “It is, of course, plausible that, rather than simply judging Israel solely on the basis of its own actions, some people in Britain may fear the risk that developments involving Israel could trigger a much broader regional confrontation, as a catalyst for wider geopolitical instability in the Middle East.”

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Views on Israel differ across political spectrum

The survey also identified significant differences in how people from different political backgrounds perceive threats to global peace. Conservative and Reform supporters were less likely than Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green supporters to consider Israel and the US serious threats. However, they were more likely to identify China, North Korea and Iran as threats.

The sharpest differences emerged between Green and Reform supporters. Green voters were 26 percentage points more likely than Reform supporters to view Israel as a serious threat. The gap was even wider regarding the US, with Green supporters 46 percentage points more likely to express that view. In contrast, Reform supporters were more likely to regard China, North Korea and Iran as serious threats, with differences of 29, 30 and 35 percentage points, respectively.

Younger Britons more likely to view Israel and US as threats

Age was another factor influencing perceptions of global threats. Younger Britons were more likely than older generations to consider Israel and the US serious threats to world peace, indicating a generational shift in attitudes towards Britain's traditional democratic allies. NatCen said the findings present a challenge for the government in communicating its foreign and security policies. “The findings suggest an important communication challenge for the government, which is central to its legitimacy to pursue the national interest,” NatSec wrote.

“Public consensus appears strongest where threats are immediate, visible, and easily understood, as in the case of Russia. By contrast, where security challenges are gradual, technologically complex, or strategically indirect, as with China, perceptions differ somewhat by age and political outlook. The patterns are even more complex when they pertain to established allies currently pursuing more high-risk foreign policies, such as the United States and Israel.”