More Yale undergrads back divesting from Israel than from Russia, China: Survey

A higher percentage of students at one Ivy League institution favor divesting from Israel than they do from U.S. adversaries.

The Buckley Institute has released the results of a survey of 503 Yale University students with 31 percent of respondents supporting divesting from the Jewish state. While a plurality of students (36 percent) oppose divestment in general, support for divesting from divesting from nations like China (12 percent), Iran (20 percent) and Russia (27 percent) remains relatively low.

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Conducted during September and October, the survey found that 55 percent of Yale undergraduates agreed that “Israel’s war in Gaza is morally wrong and genocidal, even if I think the October 7 terror attacks were wrong as well.”

In response to a question about a campus encampment that resulted in over 40 students arrested, 59 percent of respondents answered, “The protest should have been allowed to continue as long as the students wanted without interference from administrators or the police.”

When asked about the overall political environment of Yale, 89 percent of respondents indicated that they thought the school was either “Very liberal” or “Somewhat liberal.” Just 3 percent responded “Somewhat conservative,” and 0 percent answered “Very conservative.”

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In December, Yale undergrads overwhelmingly backed three anti-Israel referendum initiatives with over 75 percent support, including a measure to “divest” from “Military Weapons Manufacturers” that aid Israel.

Shortly after the referendums passed, pro-Hamas demonstrators held a protest in a campus library while holding signs that read, “Disclose,” “Divest,” “Resist,” and “Free Palestine.”