Three in Four Britons View Israel as Global Threat
A new NatCen survey shows public opinion has shifted sharply over three years, coinciding with rising energy costs and a historic Bank of England rate hike.
By Anthony Foster ·
Public opinion in Britain has turned sharply against Israel, with 78 percent of residents now viewing the country as a serious threat to world peace. This figure represents a dramatic jump from 48 percent in 2005. The data comes from the annual British Social Attitudes survey conducted by the National Centre for Social Research, published last week. The timing aligns with the second and a half year of the conflict in Gaza and the recent joint military operations involving Israel and the United States against Iran.
The shift in sentiment mirrors a deterioration in the British economy linked to these regional wars. Households are facing higher costs for energy, food, and mortgages. Last week, the Bank of England raised its base interest rate from 3.75 percent to 4 percent. This was the first increase in over three years. Economists had previously predicted rates would fall before the war with Iran began. The new rate increases payments for existing borrowers and raises the cost of new home loans.
The survey tracks a steady decline in support for Israel over the last three years. By autumn 2024, one year into the Gaza conflict, 73 percent of Britons already considered Israel a serious threat. A separate YouGov poll commissioned in July by the Council for British-Arab Understanding found that only 17 percent of the public believes Israel is not committing genocide in Gaza.
The human toll in the region continues to climb. Israel has killed at least 74,643 Palestinians in Gaza, including more than 22,000 children, and wounded 175,962 others. Approximately 10,000 more are missing and presumed dead under rubble. Since the ceasefire agreement in October 2025, 1,613 Palestinians have been killed and 5,833 wounded. Earlier this year, Israel's offensive against Hezbollah resulted in more than 4,000 deaths in Lebanon.
Attitudes toward the United States have also soured. The NatCen report states that 74 percent of Britons now see the US as a serious threat to global peace. This is a steep increase from 22 percent in 1994 and 47 percent in 2005. The report attributes the recent rise to public disputes with NATO allies over Greenland and the decision in February 2026 to join Israel in bombing Iran.
Perceptions of other geopolitical rivals remain high. Eighty-nine percent of respondents identified Russia as a serious threat to world peace, compared to 62 percent for China. Views on Iran have also hardened, with around 75 percent seeing it as a threat, up from 67 percent in the previous spring. The report describes a psychological move away from a post-Cold War sense of security toward an acceptance of permanent geopolitical competition.
