A sweeping new Pew Research Center survey shows Israel facing increasingly negative public opinion across much of the world, with unfavorable views rising sharply in many countries with some seeing dramatic increases in just the past year.

The survey released Thursday found a median of 67% of adults hold an unfavorable view of Israel, compared with just 25% who view the Jewish state favorably. 

Pew reported that majorities in most countries surveyed now hold negative opinions of Israel. The survey was conducted in 36 countries between Feb. 8 and May 13.

The study found the U.S. remains somewhat less negative than many of its European allies despite growing criticism. 

About 60% of Americans now hold an unfavorable view of Israel, according to Pew. 

While that figure represents a majority, it is lower than the levels recorded in several Western European nations.

Among Western nations, Sweden and Spain emerged as some of the most critical countries surveyed, with roughly 78% of respondents expressing unfavorable views of Israel. 

Across much of Europe, unfavorable ratings generally ranged from the 60% to 70% levels, reflecting a broad deterioration in Israel's image across the continent. 

Pew noted that in countries including Italy, the Netherlands and Spain, around half or more of respondents described their opinions as "very unfavorable."

Hungary appeared to be among the more favorable countries surveyed in Europe, while Israel also performed comparatively better in several developing nations outside the Western world. 

In Latin America, negative views were generally lower than in Europe, with figures largely in the 50% range. 

Chile registered one of the region's highest levels of unfavorable opinion, at approximately 60%.

The harshest criticism came from Muslim-majority countries. 

Pew reported particularly negative views in Pakistan, Turkey, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Malaysia. 

Pakistan registered approximately 98% unfavorable views toward Israel, while Turkey reached roughly 95%, making them among the most negative countries measured in the survey.

In contrast, several African countries surveyed showed some of the strongest support for Israel anywhere in the world. 

Kenya recorded approximately 50% favorable views, making it the most pro-Israel nation in the study. 

Ghana followed closely at 49% favorable, while Nigeria registered 47% favorable views. 

South Africa, whose government has been among Israel's most vocal critics internationally, showed a more mixed public attitude. 

About 58% of South Africans expressed unfavorable views of Israel, a figure slightly below the U.S. level.

The survey also highlighted a growing ideological divide over Israel, particularly in the United States.

"In many countries, people on the ideological left and right express vastly different views of Israel. This gap is widest in the U.S.: 83% of liberals and 37% of conservatives have an unfavorable view of the country," Pew reported.

Large ideological gaps were also found across Europe, where left-leaning respondents routinely expressed significantly more negative opinions than conservatives. 

In Australia, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden, around nine in 10 people on the political left held unfavorable views of Israel.

Perhaps most concerning for Israeli officials is the speed at which public opinion appears to be deteriorating.

Pew found unfavorable views increased in 13 of the 24 countries where trend data was available in the past 12 months.

In the United States, negativity toward Israel rose by approximately 10 percentage points over the past year. 

Similar increases were recorded in Britain, Germany and Italy, while countries including Australia, Nigeria, Poland and the United Kingdom saw double-digit increases in the share of respondents holding "very unfavorable" opinions.

The reasons for the decline remain hotly debated.

Critics point to Israel's military campaigns in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran, which have generated extensive international media coverage and criticism. 

Analysts have also noted that younger voters in many countries have become increasingly skeptical of Israeli policies. 

Supporters of Israel, meanwhile, have argued that much of the hostility is fueled by what they describe as overwhelmingly negative international media coverage, coordinated online activism and foreign-backed social media influence campaigns. 

They note that young people are more swayed by social media, which appears to have been impacted by organized campaigns backed by Israel’s opponents.

Israeli leaders have repeatedly contended that these antisemitic and anti-Israel narratives spread rapidly through social media platforms and often reach audiences with little exposure to Israel's perspective. 

While concerns about foreign influence operations have been raised by governments around the world, the Pew survey itself did not examine the causes of changing attitudes.

The study also delivered troubling news for Netanyahu personally.

"Majorities in most countries we surveyed say they are not too or not at all confident in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to do the right thing regarding world affairs," Pew reported.

More than half of respondents in countries including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the United Kingdom said they had no confidence at all in Netanyahu. 

Pew found that Kenya and the Philippines were the only countries surveyed where a majority expressed confidence in the Israeli leader.

The findings underscore the growing diplomatic challenge facing Israel as it seeks to maintain support among traditional allies while combatting terrorism in Gaza and Lebanon, not to mention an ongoing conflict with Iran.