Study finds views of world threats cleave along party lines

WASHINGTON — American attitudes for or against Israel and Palestinians are divided on the most partisan lines of the last four decades, a new study says.

The survey by the Pew Research Center, released Thursday, lists the top global threats, as viewed by the Americans polled, as Islamic State terrorism, cyberattacks and North Korea’s nuclear weapons.

The biggest growth in perceived threats to America involved Russia, Pew said.

In April, 42 percent viewed “tensions with Russia” as a major threat. Today 54 percent see “Russia’s power and influence” as a major threat, Pew said.

The national survey involved 1,502 adults and was carried out from Jan. 4-9.

Partisan differences appeared most stark in attitudes on climate change, refugees and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The survey found that 77 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents viewed global climate change as a major threat to the well-being of the United States.

Only 25 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents felt that way.

Similarly, only 30 percent of Democrats thought the exodus of refugees from Syria and Iraq constituted a danger to the U.S., while 63 percent of Republicans thought that way.

Polling on the intractable conflict between Israelis and Palestinians found a gap in sympathies for one side or the other to be at its widest since 1978.

In all, 74 percent of Republicans said they sympathize more with Israel than the Palestinians, while 11 percent sympathized more with the Palestinians.

Among Democrats, 33 percent supported Israel more and 31 percent the Palestinians. Another 35 percent said they sympathized with neither or both, or expressed no opinion.

Republicans’ views have not changed substantially in recent years, Pew said, but Democratic sympathies for Israel have fallen.