A new poll of young conservatives between the ages of 18-34 commissioned by the Washington Free Beacon shows that Gen Z Republicans are decidedly more supportive of Israel than their liberal counterparts, but that there is a notable faction of those who take a more critical view towards the Jewish state. 

The Echelon Insights poll also found that anti-Israel and antisemitic podcasters like Nick Fuentes, Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens are viewed favorably by this right-wing cohort — even among many of the respondents who say they support Israel and recognize antisemitism is a problem. 

Carlson’s favorability rating among these Gen Z conservatives, for instance, is 50%, with only 11% viewing him unfavorably. Owens has a similarly strong 49/14% favorability rating. The Holocaust-denying podcaster Darryl Cooper isn’t nearly as well-known, but is viewed positively by those who listen to him, holding a 26/8% favorability rating.

At the same time, pro-Israel podcasters like Ben Shapiro are also viewed very favorably; Shapiro’s favorability rating with this cohort is 50/16%. Fox News host Mark Levin isn’t quite as well-known, but holds a stellar 29/7% favorability rating. Asked about “Jews” generally, half of respondents hold a favorable view with only 12% holding an unfavorable opinion.

The encouraging news? A number of these podcast listeners are tuning in to these transgressive shows featuring conspiracy theories, anti-Israel views and some antisemitism, but many are not being persuaded by them. For all their vitriolic attacks against the Jewish state, 54% of Carlson’s viewers and 58% of Owens’ audience have a favorable view towards Israel.

But the gloomier finding is that a notable minority on the right holds bigoted views towards Jews and is critical of Israel. Between 20-25% of these Gen Z conservatives consistently express anti-Israel or antisemitic views — while support for Israel is not nearly as widespread as it is among older conservatives. While 40% of respondents said they side with Israel in its current conflict, about one-fifth (22%) said they side with the Palestinians. About the same percentage of Gen Z conservatives said they agree that “Israel is a colonizer built on the suffering of others.”

A similar share of these respondents also answered in the affirmative when asked about several antisemitic beliefs or conspiracy theories. For example, 20% said they believed that Israel was behind the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, while 21% said they believed that Americans who served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) should lose their American citizenship. 

Other notable findings from the survey? Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s favorability rating among these young conservatives is only 25/19%, much lower than his standing (in other polls) with all Republicans. Interestingly, Zohran Mamdani, the far-left Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, holds above-water favorability among these conservatives at 19/18%. It’s another data point illustrating the “horseshoe theory” where the far left and far right have a surprising amount of views in common.

The glue holding the Gen Z conservatives together is their support for President Donald Trump, who maintains a very strong 78/17% favorability rating. Trump’s stalwart support for Israel, undoubtedly, is a major factor behind most young Republicans continuing to side with the Jewish state despite the pockets of disapproval within.

But the poll also suggests the potential for fissures to emerge after Trump’s passage from the political scene in 2028, with the presence of a younger, podcast and social media-fueled faction that holds radically different views towards Jews and Israel than their older counterparts.