More voters back funding for U.S.-Mexico border than foreign conflicts

American voters across party lines support more funding to bolster security at the southern border, while support for foreign countries embroiled in conflicts exposes stark partisan divides, according to the latest NBC News national poll. 

The survey finds roughly 3 in 4 registered voters — 74% — support more funding for security along the U.S. border with Mexico, including 93% of Republicans, 74% of independents and 58% of Democrats. 

The new survey comes as lawmakers are weighing an aid package to support Ukraine and Israel amid their ongoing wars that would also include immigration measures, with congressional leaders pushing to pass the package by the end of the year.

“Broadly, Americans are on the side of Israel, but there are huge divisions by generation here, including on providing more funding for humanitarian aid to Gaza, and more funding and military aid to Israel respectively,” said Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt of Hart Research Associates, who conducted the survey with GOP pollster Bill McInturff of Public Opinion Strategies.

“And other funding related issues — majorities support funding for border security aid, for Ukraine and Taiwan,” Horwitt added. “But beyond Taiwan, there are partisan gaps on those items, which suggests a challenging road ahead.” 

The poll finds that Democrats are more likely to support humanitarian aid to Gaza, with 80% of them voicing support for that funding, compared to 58% of independents and just 38% of Republicans. 

Majorities across age groups support aid to Gaza, with a higher share of younger voters backing aid. But the generational gap is even wider when it comes to funding and military aid to Israel amid its war with Hamas. 

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Just one-third of voters ages 18-34 back more funding and military aid, while sizable majorities of older voters back support for Israel, including 75% of voters ages 65 and older.

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Support for Israel funding also breaks along party lines, with two-thirds of GOP voters backing more funding and aid compared to 45% of Democrats. That support is even lower among more progressive Democrats who say they voted for Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., or Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., in the 2020 primary — just 28% support more aid for Israel. 

Democrats are far more likely to support aid to Ukraine amid its war with Russia, with 77% supporting more funding and military aid to the country, compared to just 35% of Republicans.

That Republican opposition is highest among GOP voters who align themselves with former President Donald Trump and his “Make America Great Again” movement — 76% of self-described MAGA Republicans oppose more aid to Ukraine, while non-MAGA Republicans are more evenly divided over Ukraine aid.

The survey does find bipartisan support for more funding and military aid to Taiwan as it faces the potential threat of a Chinese invasion, with slim majorities of Republicans, Democrats and independents backing more aid.

“That lesser known issue right now is really holding its own compared to the front and center hot spots like Ukraine and Israel,” Micah Roberts of Public Opinion Strategies said on the topic of funding and military aid to Taiwan. 

The NBC News poll was conducted Nov. 10-14 and surveyed 1,000 registered voters — 833 by cellphone — and it has an overall margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.