A new survey from Israel on Campus Coalition and Schoen Cooperman Research shows that a majority of U.S. adults and college students support cutting federal funding to universities that have failed to protect Jewish students and address antisemitism head on. According to the survey, 66% of U.S. adults and 56% of college students are in favor of this tactic. Additionally, 54% of U.S. adults and 40% of college students support the deportation of Mahmoud Khalil, the anti-Israel activist at Columbia University.
“The American public has sent a clear message: universities must be held accountable for failing to protect Jewish students from discrimination and harassment” said Jacob Baime, CEO of the ICC, a pro-Israel organization on college campuses that supports Jewish and non-Jewish Zionist students, offers fellowships and sends students to Israel.
“The American public has sent a clear message: universities must be held accountable for failing to protect Jewish students from discrimination and harassment.” Jacob Baime
The survey from ICC and Schoen Cooperman Research included responses from 1,000 U.S. adults and 450 college students and was taken between March 21-24. It also revealed that 83% of Americans affirm Israel’s right to take military action against Hamas to rescue hostages, compel meaningful negotiations and disarm the terrorist group. A strong majority of U.S. adults – 65% – see Israel’s renewed military efforts in Gaza as a justified response to Hamas’ refusal to release the hostages as well as its ongoing aggression.
“The polling demonstrates that Americans continue to be steadfast in their support for Israel in its war against Hamas,” said Carly Cooperman, CEO of Schoen Cooperman Research. “Having polled consistently on this issue for 18 months since Hamas’ October 7th attack on Israel, there is a reliance in the belief that Israel has a right to defend itself, and more recently, that Israel is justified in resuming military action while Hamas refuses to release hostages and continues to attack Israel. This extends to the concern in the US regarding antisemitism and the need for the government to push schools to do more to protect Jewish students.”
Recently, the Trump Administration has supported Israel’s right to defend itself and gone after colleges, threatening to pull their federal funding for not standing up against antisemitism on campus. Ivy League universities in particular have been under harsh scrutiny, as they have been ground zero for anti-Israel, anti-American protests since October 7. The administration has also taken steps to revoke the visas of foreign students who participated in the protests and may have them deported.
Baime said it’s clear that with the new ICC/Schoen survey results, universities need to take immediate action to protect their Jewish students, ensuring that what has transpired since October 7 comes to an end.
“Amid a rising crisis of antisemitism, too many academic institutions have neglected their duty,” he said. “With 66% of U.S. adults and 56% of college students supporting the withdrawal of federal funding from schools that tolerate such failures, these findings signal that administrators must act decisively to ensure a safe, inclusive environment for Jewish students.”
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