Most Britons see Israel as a ‘serious threat’ to world peace: Survey

Rabia Iclal Turan

11 November 2026•Update: 11 November 2026

Some 78% of Britons now regard Israel as a serious threat to world peace, up from 48% in 2005, according to a survey published in the National Centre for Social Research’s (NatCen) British Social Attitudes report.

The figure exceeds the shares of respondents who view Iran (75%) and the US (74%) as serious threats, according to the report, titled “A More Dangerous World: British Attitudes to Security, Defense and International Alliances,” which was published last week.

“Israel’s reputation, too, has seemingly suffered from its involvement in recent Middle East conflict,” the report said.

It said the proportion of Britons viewing Israel as a serious threat reached 73% by autumn 2024, after Gaza had suffered “heavy damage” in the wake of Israel’s war on the enclave following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.

The figure fell to around two-thirds in 2025 before rising to 78% in a spring 2026 survey taken after the US-Israeli bombing campaign against Iran.

Green Party supporters were the most likely to view Israel as a serious threat at 88%, followed by Labour supporters at 84%, Liberal Democrats at 79%, Conservatives at 70% and Reform UK supporters at 62%.