Many studies have shown that younger evangelicals are less supportive of Israel than older generations of evangelicals. While this statistic is true, a recent study offers some encouragement. According to a recent survey conducted in December 2025, this oppositional stance against Israel decreases with age, while support for Israel increases with age and life experience.
The study, carried out by Jewish researchers Dr. Kirill Bumin and Dr. Motti Inbari, surveyed 3,806 self-identifying evangelical Protestants in the United States on their views of Israel and Jewish people in December 2025. One thousand of those respondents were young evangelicals aged 18–29.[1]
Support for Israel Increases with Age
Their results showed that while 18- to 20-year-olds show very little strong support for Israel, the support rises sharply among 23- to 25-year-olds, from three percent to 16.1 percent. Among 25- to 29-year-olds, the level of very strong support for Israel remains consistently high at 12 percent to 17 percent.
What is the reason for this increase in support for Israel with age? The researchers believe this change may be due to Life Cycle Effects Theory. Political scientists have long debated whether the beliefs people hold in their youth remain largely fixed throughout life or whether they naturally evolve with age. There are two competing theories.
The first explanation, known as Life Cycle Effects Theory, proposes that people’s priorities and perspectives naturally change as they assume adult responsibilities such as careers, marriage, and raising families. Under this model, the political tendencies people hold in their youth often moderate over time. The second explanation is known as the Cohort Effect Theory, which argues that each generation develops lasting political and moral convictions during its formative years. If this theory is correct, today’s younger evangelicals would likely carry their comparatively weaker support for Israel throughout adulthood, permanently reshaping evangelical opinion.
Bumin and Inbari’s findings appear to provide evidence for the Life Cycle Effects Theory. They write,
[This] kind of shift in opinions aligns with life-stage change theory as this young cohort enters a career and starts a family (evangelicals tend to marry younger than other non-evangelical Americans). Palestinian-aligned positions diminish with age, while more traditional foreign policy views—such as pro-Israel sentiments—become stronger and stabilize. If this were mainly a cohort effect, we would expect higher support for Palestinians to shift rightward as younger cohorts age into their 30s and 40s, and support for Israel to stay low among those same groups. But instead, we see support for Palestinians peak then decline within the same age range, while support for Israel increases within the same age range and stabilizes in later adulthood.
What This Means for Us
Rather than confirming fears of a permanent generational departure from support for Israel, the evidence suggests that many young evangelicals become increasingly supportive as they move through adulthood. Their early views of Israel may reflect a unique stage of worldview development, not a settled rejection of traditional evangelical beliefs.
As Bumin and Inbari conclude, today’s youngest evangelicals remain the group that is the least supportive of Israel within American evangelicalism. Yet, many appear to be moving back toward the historic evangelical consensus as they mature. For those who pray for the peace of Jerusalem and labor to foster biblical understanding of Israel, this is welcome news indeed.
We are encouraged by the findings of this study. This does not mean, however, that we do not encourage concern for Palestinians. In fact, one of our core purposes at the Alliance for the Peace of Jerusalem is to articulate a positive, biblical view of Israel while demonstrating concern for the wellbeing of all people in the Middle East, including Palestinians.[2] God loves all people, and the kingdom of heaven will be filled with people “from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues” (Revelation 7:9).
In conclusion, rather than succumb to discouragement that young evangelicals have completely abandoned Israel, these findings encourage us to continue educating the younger generations about God’s plans and purposes for Israel, knowing that our efforts are not in vain. Young evangelicals are still forming their worldview. We must continue to faithfully present the whole counsel of Scripture, helping young believers understand God’s covenant faithfulness to Israel, the ongoing significance of Jewish people in redemptive history, and the biblical call to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6).
Jennifer Miles is the director of communications for the Alliance for the Peace of Jerusalem and a staff apologist for Chosen People Ministries. She earned her master’s degree in Christian Apologetics from Biola University and a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Stockton University. She is passionate about sharing biblical truth about Israel and the Jewish people and reaching God’s chosen people with the good news of their Messiah.
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[1] Kirill Bumin and Motti Inbari, “Post-10/7 Survey of Christian Attitudes Toward Israel and the Jewish People.” The full research study is available upon request.
[2] “Our Hope for Peace: A Statement on Israel, the Nations, and the Gospel,” Alliance for the Peace of Jerusalem, accessed July 21, 2026, https://allianceforthepeaceofjerusalem.com/statement/.
