Young American Jews have less of an emotional attachment to Israel than older Jews, but the overwhelming majority of all American Jews, across age groups, believes in Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish and democratic state, new survey data from Jewish Federations of North America reveals.

The results from the survey, which was conducted in March 2025 and released this week, makes clear that a baseline belief in Israel’s existence is still a consistent feature of American Jewish life among at least three-quarters of all Jews in the United States. At the same time, illustrating the complexities of the post-Oct. 7 landscape, one-third of young Jews describe themselves as anti-Zionist or non-Zionist.

Overall, nearly 9 in 10 American Jews believe in Israel’s right to exist, though there is a disparity among age groups. Ninety-eight percent of Jews between the ages of 55 and 74 believe in Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish, democratic state, compared to 76% of American Jews between 18 and 34.

Among younger Jews, a majority still describe feeling emotionally attached to Israel, although there is a larger discrepancy from their parents’ generation. Fifty-seven percent of American Jews between 18 and 34 said they feel emotionally attached to Israel, compared to roughly three-quarters of Jewish Americans between 55 and 74. Among American Jews who are older than 75, 88% described feeling emotionally attached to Israel.

According to the survey, fewer than half of American Jews — across nearly all age categories — identify as Zionists. Among those between the ages of 18 and 34, 35% identify as Zionist. Among Jews over 75, just 33% identify as a Zionist.

JFNA’s chief impact officer, Mimi Kravetz, argued in a Jewish Telegraphic Agency op-ed explaining the survey results that Jews’ reluctance to describe themselves as Zionists, while agreeing with the fundamental tenets of Zionism, is a result of misperceptions about the word, which Kravetz said had experienced “definition creep,” shaped by “political agendas, public discourse, and broader social forces.”

She urged Jewish advocates to respond with unity and a recommitment to the term’s earliest definition.

“For us, Zionism means supporting the State of Israel and the Israeli people and uniting the Jewish people behind this shared commitment,” Kravetz wrote.

But while relatively few American Jews describe themselves as Zionists across age groups, the data shows that far more young Jews identify as anti-Zionists or non-Zionists than older Jews. About one-third (32%) of Jews between 18 and 34 describe themselves as anti-Zionists or non-Zionists. That’s a much larger number than any other demographic: 13% of Jews between 35 and 44 say the same, compared to 15% of Jews between 45 and 54, 1% of Jews between 55 and 64, 4% of Jews between 65 and 74 and 9% of Jews older than 75.