According to a Pew Research Center survey conducted between March 3 and April 4, 2024, most Israeli adults do not post or share online about political or social issues, including the Israel-Hamas war.
At least half of Israeli adults also say certain types of war-related social media posts should not be allowed, such as those that are graphic, incite violence or express support for Hamas.
The Pew Research Center analysis focuses on Israelis' use of social media and their views on the censorship of social media content related to the Israel-Hamas war.
The data comes from a survey conducted in person among 1,001 Israeli adults between March 3 and April 4, 2024. Interviews were conducted in Hebrew and Arabic, and the survey is representative of the adult population aged 18 and over, excluding those living in East Jerusalem and unauthorized sites. (The survey also does not cover the West Bank or Gaza Strip.) The survey included an oversample of Israeli Arabs. It was then weighted to be representative of the Israeli adult population using variables such as gender by ethnicity, age by ethnicity, education, region, urbanicity, and the probability of respondent selection.
Prior to 2024, totals were based on rounded top-line figures. For all analyses from 2024 onwards, totals are based on unrounded top-line figures, so totals may differ from prior years. Please see the 2024 topline to see the new rounding procedures applied to historical data.
Below are the questions and answers used in this analysis, as well as the research methodology.
Few Israelis use social media to discuss politics, social issues or the Gaza war
Nearly three-quarters of Israelis (74%) use social media, but less than a quarter (22%) say they often or sometimes post or share about politics or social issues, while roughly half (51%) say they rarely or never do so.
We asked Israelis who use social media and frequently post or share about these issues whether they post or share about the Israel-Hamas war. Only 18% of Israeli adults said they do so regularly.
While Israelis' overall social media use has not changed much since 2022, the percentage of those who said they at least sometimes post or share about social or political issues fell from 36% to 22% over the same period.
Arab Israelis are more likely than Jewish Israelis to at least occasionally post or share about politics and social issues (28% vs. 20%). However, Jews are roughly twice as likely as Arabs to do so specifically about the Israel-Hamas war (20% vs. 11%). Nearly a quarter of Arab Israelis (24%, the majority of respondents) Never Post or share content about the war. Only 6% of Jewish Israelis would say the same.
Israeli authorities have detained dozens of Arab citizens since October for social media posts about the war, and many have faced disciplinary action at work or school because of what they shared online, according to Israel-based human rights groups.
Many Israelis feel that social media content about the war should not be allowed.
Regardless of whether they post on social media themselves, the majority of Israelis believe that certain types of content related to the war between Israel and Hamas should not be allowed to be posted.
- Nearly nine in ten Israelis say posts calling for violence (92%) or expressing support for Hamas (87%) have no place on social media.
- 72% of Israelis want posts containing videos or images of war violence to be censored, while just 20% say gory content should be allowed.
- Nearly twice as many Israelis think posts expressing sympathy for civilians in Gaza should be kept off social media (59%) as those who think these posts are acceptable (30%).
- Israelis are divided on posts criticizing their government's actions in the war: half say such posts should be censored, while 41% disagree. Supporters of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition government are much more likely than non-supporters to say posts critical of the government should not be allowed (69% to 39%).
Israeli Jews and Arabs feel differently about social media content about the war
Israeli Jews and Arabs have different views on social media posts about the war, especially those expressing sympathy for civilians in Gaza: 70% of Jews say such posts should not be allowed, while only 18% of Arabs agree.
Similarly, 55% of Israeli Jews believe posts criticizing the government's handling of the war should be censored, compared with just 31% of Israeli Arabs. A majority of Arabs, 58%, say posts criticizing the Israeli government are acceptable.
(The survey was conducted from March 3 to April 4, 2024. For Israeli views on the Israel-Hamas war, May Report and June Report.
Majorities of Jews and Arabs support censoring posts that show graphic violence (76% and 57%) and posts that express support for Hamas (91% and 70%). When asked about the latter, 20% of Arabs said they didn't know or refused to answer.
Ideological differences in social media posts about the Gaza war
Israelis' views on social media posts about the war vary across the ideological right, center and left.
The biggest divide is on posts sympathetic to civilians in Gaza: 76% of those on the right think such posts should not be allowed, compared to just 25% of those on the left. Among center voters, 53% say such content should be censored, 26% disagree, and 21% did not answer the question.
A majority of right-leaning Israelis (62%) believe that posts critical of the country's right-wing government and its war actions should not be allowed — more than double the share of left-leaning Israelis who think the same (29%). Center-leaning Israelis fall in between, with 44% saying such posts should be censored.
Eight in ten right-leaning Israelis believe that posts showing war violence are unacceptable, a view shared by majorities of center-leaning (68%) and left-leaning (61%) Israelis.
At least 90% of Israelis across every demographic group we surveyed (Jews, Arabs, ideological right, left and center) say posts inciting violence should not be allowed.
Note: The questions, answers, and survey methodology used for this analysis are as follows: