Large and Increasing Majority of Israelis Prioritize Bringing Hostages Home Over Toppling Hamas
Prioritization of the hostages has been increasing steadily over time, with 68% prioritizing the hostages and 25% prioritizing toppling Hamas in the current survey; 49% of Israelis do not think achieving both war goals simultaneously is possible. A majority of Israelis, (56.5%), say the government should obey the Supreme Court decision on Ronen Bar's dismissal.
Anadolu via Reuters Connect
The survey was conducted by the Viterbi Family Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research at the Israel Democracy Institute between March 31 and April 6, 2025. It was based on a representative sample of the population in Israel aged 18 and above, comprising 598 Jewish interviewees and 150 Arab interviewees.
Topics covered in this report:
- The national mood
- The High Court of Justice and the government
- Police conduct at demonstrations
- The war in Gaza
- The amendment to the Judicial Selection Committee Law
- The state budget—professional considerations or narrow interests?
- Back to normal
- Hikes, trips, and leisure activities during Passover
From now on, we have decided to broaden our assessment of public optimism and pessimism to four areas: the future of democratic rule, the security situation, Israel’s economic situation, and social cohesion. This month, we found that in all four cases, only a minority of respondents are optimistic. In the total sample, the lowest share of optimists is in relation to social cohesion, at just 22% (and 22% in both the Jewish and Arab samples). A slightly greater proportion of Israelis are optimistic about the country’s economic situation, at 25% (Jews, 26%; Arabs, 23%). A considerably larger proportion are optimistic about the future of democratic rule in Israel, at 38% (Jews, 39%; Arabs, 33%), and the largest share of optimists, though still a minority, are to be found regarding Israel’s security situation, at 39.5% (Jews, 43.5%; Arabs, 20%). The greatest difference between Jews and Arabs is thus in relation to the security situation, while in all three other areas there is a large degree of similarity between the two publics.
It should be noted that in the Jewish sample, the proportion of optimists in each of the four areas is noticeably higher among those who define themselves as being on the Right than among those in the Center, and much higher than those on the Left. On the Right, there is a minority of optimists about the future of the economy and social cohesion, and a majority of optimists about the future of democratic rule and the security situation.
Compared to previous surveys, in the total sample there has been a small rise in optimism about the future of democratic rule (from 35% in January to 38% in March); a small decline in optimism about the security situation (from 41% in January to 39.5% in March); a sharp fall in optimism about Israel’s economic situation, seemingly also affected by Trump’s tariff policy (from 33% in February to 25% in March); and a large decrease in optimism about social cohesion in Israel (from 30% in February to 22% in March).
In other words, in the total sample the national mood is largely pessimistic in all the areas assessed: democratic rule, security, the economy, and social cohesion.
Optimistic about the future (total sample; %)
Should the government obey the Supreme Court? Ahead of the Supreme Court hearing on the dismissal of Ronen Bar, the head of the Shin Bet, we asked our respondents two questions. First: “Recently, the Supreme Court issued an interim order preventing the dismissal of the head of the Shin Bet. Some people argue that the Court does not have the authority to intervene in such a decision, and that the government is not obligated to obey the Court’s decision if it rules that the dismissal must be halted. What is your opinion?”
We found that in the Jewish public, a small majority (54%) think that the government must obey the ruling of the Supreme Court, while 36% think that it does not have to obey, and the rest say they don’t know. Among Arabs, a much larger majority (71%) think that the government must abide by the Court’s ruling on this matter, while just 8% take the opposite view, and the remainder selected the “don’t know” response. In the total sample, 56.5% think that the government has to obey the ruling.
Breaking down the responses in the Jewish sample by political orientation reveals majorities on the Left and in the Center who think that the government must obey (96.5% and 73%, respectively). Only a minority hold this view on the Right (32%).
A breakdown by vote in the 2022 Knesset elections finds that among voters for all coalition parties, only a minority are in favor of obeying the Supreme Court, while a clear majority of voters for opposition parties take this view.
Think that the government should obey the ruling of the Supreme Court, by vote in the 2022 elections (total sample; %)
Civil disobedience if the government does not obey the Supreme Court? The second question we asked was: “Some people argue that if the government does not obey the Supreme Court’s ruling, then the protest movement should shift to civil disobedience, including blocking roads for extended periods of time, strikes, non-payment of taxes, and so on. Do you support or oppose a struggle using these means?”
Among Jews, 41% support civil disobedience if the government does not obey the Supreme Court’s ruling on the dismissal of Ronen Bar, as do 52% of Arabs, and 43% of the total sample.
Breaking down the responses in the Jewish sample by political orientation finds a large majority on the Left (86%) who would be in favor of civil disobedience in this event, compared to a much smaller majority in the Center (57%) and only a small minority on the Right (21%).
A breakdown by vote in the 2022 Knesset elections reveals a similar picture, with considerable support among voters for opposition parties for civil disobedience if the government does not obey the Court’s decision, and very little support among voters for coalition parties.
Support civil disobedience if the government does not obey the Supreme Court’s ruling, by vote in the 2022 elections (total sample; %)
We repeated a question we last asked in November 2024: “In your opinion, does the Israel Police maintain the correct balance between freedom of protest and public order considerations (such as freedom of movement)?”
In both the Jewish and Arab samples, we found that a majority of respondents do not agree that the police maintain the correct balance, though this majority is larger among Arabs. Among Jews, there has been a moderate decline between November 2024 and March 2025 in the share of respondents who agree that the police maintain this balance, and a concomitant rise in the share of those who disagree. Among Arabs, there has been a more significant shift in this direction, with a fall in the share of those who agree and a sharp rise in the share who disagree, up from 44% in November 2024 to a majority of 70% in March 2025.
In your opinion, does the Israel Police maintain the correct balance between freedom of protest and public order considerations (such as freedom of movement)? (%)
A breakdown by political orientation (Jews) reveals—in all three camps—small shares of respondents who agree that the police maintain the correct balance, though these shares are particularly small on the Left and in the Center.
Breaking down responses in the Jewish sample by religiosity finds that the lowest levels of agreement are among Haredi and secular respondents, with only a quarter in each group agreeing that the police maintain the correct balance between freedom of protest and public order considerations. Only among the traditional religious did we find a majority who think that the police maintain the proper balance.
Agree that the Israel Police maintains the correct balance between freedom of protest and public order considerations (such as freedom of movement) (Jews; %)
Toppling Hamas or bringing home all the hostages? We asked: “In your opinion, which of Israel’s two declared war goals is more important today: toppling Hamas, or bringing home all the hostages?” This question was first asked in January 2024, then in September 2024,[1] and now once again in March 2025. Comparing the results from these three surveys shows a clear trend: The share of those who favor bringing home the hostages as the most important goal has risen steadily, while the share who prioritize toppling Hamas has fallen. In January 2024, around half the public thought that bringing the hostages home was the most important goal, while today more than two-thirds take this view. Only a quarter of the public now think that toppling Hamas is the most important goal of the war.
Which of Israel’s two declared war goals is more important today: toppling Hamas, or bringing home all the hostages? (total sample; %)
A breakdown by political orientation (Jews) finds that a large majority of those on the Left (91%) and in the Center (80.5%) think that bringing home all the hostages is more important than toppling Hamas, but even on the Right, this is the opinion of the majority, albeit a slight majority (bringing home all the hostages, 52%; toppling Hamas, 38.5%).
Is it possible to achieve both goals simultaneously—bringing home the hostages and toppling Hamas? We also asked whether it is currently possible to achieve both these goals at the same time. We found that the public is divided on this issue: Around half (49%) think or are certain that this is not possible, while a similar proportion (46%) think or are certain that it is possible.
Is it possible today to achieve both these goals simultaneously? (total sample; %)
We examined the relation between respondents’ preferred war goal (bringing home all the hostages or toppling Hamas) and their view on whether it is possible to achieve both goals simultaneously. The results reveal significant differences between the groups: Among those who consider toppling Hamas to be the most important goal, a large majority (74%) think that both goals can be achieved simultaneously. By contrast, among those who rank bringing home the hostages as the most important goal, the picture is reversed: a majority (59%) think that the two goals cannot be achieved together. In other words, the findings indicate that respondents’ views on whether both goals can be achieved in tandem are closely linked to their preference regarding the main goal of the war.
Recently, the Knesset passed an amendment to the Judicial Selection Committee Law, giving a majority to the political representatives on the Committee at the expense of judges and representatives of the Israel Bar Association. We asked our respondents whether they support or oppose this amendment.
In the total sample, 53% say they oppose it, on the grounds that it could lead to the politicization of the judiciary and over-concentration of power in the hands of the government. On the other hand, 33% support the amendment, because it strengthens governance and allows the government to operate more efficiently.
Among both Arabs and Jews, a larger share of respondents oppose the amendment to the law than support it, though the difference between the proportion of opponents and supporters is larger among Arabs.
Breaking down responses in the Jewish sample by political orientation, we found that an overwhelming majority of those on the Left and in the Center oppose the amendment, believing that it could lead to the politicization of the judiciary and give the government too much power. On the Right, by contrast, more than half support the amendment, on the grounds that it strengthens governance and allows the government to operate more efficiently.
Do you support or oppose the amendment to the Judicial Selection Committee Law? (%)
We asked our respondents which of the following claims about the state budget, which was recently approved by the Knesset, is more correct: that the budget is based on objective, professional economic considerations, or that it is designed to serve the narrow interests of certain groups. Almost two-thirds of the public (65%) think that the current budget was to a greater extent designed to serve narrow interests, while only 22.5% think it is based on professional and objective economic considerations.
Breaking down responses in the Jewish sample by religiosity reveals that only among Haredim is there a majority who think that the budget is largely the product of objective, professional economic considerations. Among the national religious, the share who hold this opinion is only slightly larger than the share who think that it reflects sectorial interests. In all the other religious groups, and especially the secular, the majority of respondents think that the budget serves narrow interests.
In your opinion, which of the following claims about the state budget that was recently approved is more correct? (Jews; %)
A breakdown by vote in the 2022 elections (total sample) reveals large differences between voters for the various coalition parties. Among voters for the Haredi parties (Shas and United Torah Judaism), a larger share of respondents think that the budget is based on objective, professional considerations than think it reflects narrow interests (Shas: objective considerations, 42%; narrow interests, 28%; United Torah Judaism: objective considerations, 62%; narrow interests, 16%). By contrast, among voters for the non-Haredi coalition parties (Likud and Religious Zionism), this picture is reversed (Likud: objective considerations, 37%; narrow interests, 48%; Religious Zionism: objective considerations, 36%; narrow interests, 47%;). As expected, among voters for all the opposition parties, an overwhelming majority think that the budget is designed to serve the narrow interests of certain groups.
We repeated a question asked several times previously about getting back to normal: “To what extent has your personal life (such as work, media consumption, get-togethers with family and friends, etc.) returned to normal, or close to normal, recently?” As in December 2024, when we last inquired about this issue, around three-quarters of Jewish respondents and just under half of Arab respondents reported getting back to normal.
Breaking down responses in the Jewish sample by political orientation reveals that a majority in all three camps report a return to normality, though this majority is larger on the Right (77%) and smaller on the Left (55%), with those in the Center somewhere in between (64%).
Personal life has returned to normal or close to normal, to a fairly large or very large extent (%)
Ahead of the Passover holiday, we asked our Jewish respondents: “Relative to previous years, are you and your family planning to go out on hikes, trips, and leisure activities during this year’s Passover?” We found that a minority of 37% of the Jewish public are planning to engage in these activities to the same extent as in the years before the war, while 51% say they will do so to a lesser extent (29% because of the security situation, and 22% because of the economic situation).
A breakdown by religiosity reveals that only among Haredim is there a majority of respondents who are planning to undertake hikes, trips, and leisure activities to a similar extent as in previous years. Among the other groups, a larger share of respondents are planning to do so to a lesser extent than in previous years, with the main reason for this being the security situation (except among the traditional non-religious).
Relative to previous years, are you and your family planning to go out on trips, hikes, visits, and leisure activities during this year’s Passover? (Jews; %)
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The March 2025 Israeli Voice Index was prepared by the Viterbi Family Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research at the Israel Democracy Institute. The survey was conducted via the internet and by telephone (to include groups that are under-represented on the internet) between March 31 and April 6, 2025, with 598 men and women interviewed in Hebrew and 150 in Arabic, constituting a nationally representative sample of the adult population in Israel aged 18 and over. The maximum sampling error was ±3.58% at a confidence level of 95%. Field work was carried out by Shiluv I2R. The full data file can be found at: https://dataisrael.idi.org.il.
[1] The wording in January and September 2024 was slightly different, as follows: “Recently, it has been argued that there is a contradiction between Israel’s two war goals—toppling Hamas and bringing the hostages home. In your opinion, which of the two should be Israel’s main goal today?”