Yaron Kaplan

Israelis are deeply divided on how to move forward in the conflict in Lebanon. While 54% of Jewish Israelis support continued fighting against Hezbollah, 88% of Arab Israelis are in favor of pursuing a diplomatic solution.

IDI conducted a short survey on the Israeli public opinions in relation to the upcoming elections for president in the US. Who do Israelis prefer, Harris or Trump? These are the results.

A public opinion survey marking the first anniversary of the October 7th attacks and one year into the "Iron Swords" war.

Jewish Israelis are broadly united (90%) in their belief that launching an in-depth offensive against Hezbollah is the correct move, while the largest share of Arab Israelis (47%) think it was not. A large majority of Israelis, over 70%, think both the IDF and Israel's civilian population would be able to withstand an extended war on two or more fronts.

Israelis are divided on the question of the main reasons for Netanyahu's demand that Israel continues to control the Philadelphi Corridor. While over half of the Jewish respondents (58.5%) think this decision is based on military and strategic considerations, 66.5% of Arab-Israeli respondents thing it is due to political reasons. 

Across the Left, Right and Center, rates of Jewish Israelis who say the feel "anger," "disappointment" or "frustration" are considerably higher than those expressing satisfaction, pride, or trust. A large majority of Israelis (70%) support the establishment of an inquiry into the events of Oct. 7th, but do not agree on the timing of such an inquiry. 

Across the total sample, 56% of Israelis support a deal to release all the hostages and end the war in Gaza; 29.5% support a deal to release some hostages in exchange for a temporary ceasefire; 14.5% don't know.

Across the issues of US-relations, the war in Gaza, evacuees from the south and the north, fighting Hezbollah, and public diplomacy efforts abroad—both Jewish and Arab Israelis give the government low grades.

The majority of the Jewish public (56%) think that securing a deal for the release of the hostages is the highest priority; a higher share of Jewish respondents think Trump would be better for Israel as US president; most Israelis think that celebrations of Israel's 76th Independence Day should be more restrained and less prominent this year.

A new survey by the Israel Democracy Institute's Viterbi Center for Public Opinion examined what should be the highest priority in terms of Israeli national interest: military action in Rafah or a deal to release the hostages held by Hamas.

After more than six months of war, we found that among both Jewish (58%) and Arab Israelis (81%) there is widespread agreement that now that the majority of Israeli forces have left the Gaza Strip, the time has come for those who were responsible for the failure of October 7 to resign from their positions.

Slightly more than half of Jewish respondents think that the government is doing all it can to bring the hostages home; only a minority of Arabs concur. Only a minority of Israelis think the government will complete its four-year term and a majority of Israelis think that Hamas has succeeded in refocusing international attention on the Palestinian problem.

The majority of Israelis gave Prime Minister Netanyahu low ratings (57%), while IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi topped the rankings of positive performance (48%). More than two-thirds of Israelis think we are on the verge of an all-out-war with Hezbollah – 69%.

Most Israelis would like to see the exemption given to the Haredi community changed; when asked whether the Israel can continue relying on the US's support, public opinion was divided, with an inclination toward continued reliance; around half of Israelis think Israel's standing in the international arena is not good.

Most Israelis think Palestinian terrorism will remain the same or increase if a Palestinian state were declared. A vast majority (81%) of Israelis think the likelihood of reform in the Palestinian Authority is low, while a majority of Israelis think absolute victory in Gaza is unlikely.

56% of all Arab Israelis say the attack by Hamas on October 7 does not reflect Arab society, the Palestinian people, and the Islamic nation. 33% say it does and 11% are unsure.

The Index finds that over past decade: significant decrease in the rate of optimists regarding the future of the country and a decline in public trust in state institutions | Among Jewish Israelis: 85% Place Trust the IDF | Only 8.5% Trust Political Parties

A special IDI survey found that Israelis say that while there has been an 8.5% rise in their expenses over the past year, wages have remained stagnant – and even declined. The public is also split on which type of government after November’s election would deal best with the high cost of living.

After President Biden's visit to Israel, more Israelis are convinced of his commitment to ensuring Israel’s security when negotiating with Iran.

The Israeli Voice Index for July 2022 found that the main factor influencing Israelis’ consideration when voting is the party’s platform on economic issues and its plan for coping with the high cost of living (44%). 24% of respondents say that the party head is their top factor in deciding which slate to vote for

Ahead of President Biden’s visit to Israel, a special IDI survey finds that Israelis are wary about the prospect of a new deal with Iran and split on the possibility that the presidential visit will lead to normalization with Saudi Arabia.

The Israel Democracy Institute's Viterbi Family Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research published a special survey on the stances of Israelis on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and issues related to the conflict. The survey included both native-born Israelis and immigrants from the former Soviet Union – and found that 60% of Israelis back the government’s policy on the conflict and a large minority (44%) support absorbing refugees regardless of nationality

A small majority agree that the Supreme Court should have the power to overturn laws passed by the Knesset when democratic principles are contradicted, while a high rate of the Israeli public, primarily from the right-wing and ultra-Orthodox, believe that the selection of judges in Israel is based on political considerations.

The 2021 Democracy Index reveals a complex picture regarding the level of public trust in key institutions and officials, 46% of respondents say that tensions between Jews and Arabs is the fiercest tension in Israeli society

IDI's 2021 Israeli Democracy Index shows a decline in trust in most state institutions