Morning Consult Poll: 76 Percent Support Police on Campuses

More than three-quarters of Americans believe colleges and universities should call in police to protect students from violence and nearly half say pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campuses should be banned, a new poll showed.

The Morning Consult poll of 1,986 registered voters taken April 27-28 comes amid thousands of arrests after students protesting Israel's war against Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip set up tent encampments on college campuses and seized administrative buildings.

The students want their schools to divest from companies that might be profiting from Israel's war against Hamas. In many cases, Jewish students on campus were harrassed or prevented from attending classes, stoking a rise in antisemitism.

The poll, which had a margin of error of +/- 2 percentage points, found that 76% believe schools should call police to protect students from violence, and 47% believe they should ban pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus.

Americans across all political spectrums agreed regarding whether police should be called to protect students, with 79% of Republicans, 76% of Democrats, and 71% of independents in favor.

Only 30% believe that pro-Palestinian protests should be banned, only 41% said pro-Israel demonstrations should be banned, and just 10% opposed police being called to protect students from violence.

Only 38%, including 50% of Democrats, believe colleges and universities should divest from companies that profit from Israel's war against Hamas.

When asked if they want the war to end, 60% said they are in favor of a cease-fire, including 75% of Democrats, 54% of independents, and 52% of Republicans. Plus, 58% favored sending humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and 47% were against sending military aid to Israel.

"On the political front, our surveys conducted over the weekend show the matter ranks low when voters' think about their ballots this fall," wrote Morning Consult's Eli Yokely. "Only about 2 in 5 voters, including 35% of the youngest cohort, said the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is 'very important' to their vote.

"But a dramatic protest movement could have the potential to weigh on the contest if it maintains steam and expands beyond college campuses — particularly with our data finding America's youngest voters souring on [President Joe] Biden this cycle relative to 2020."