Cost of living tops list of election issues — poll

A majority of Israelis rank the cost of living and social issues as the foremost factor driving their voting decisions in the upcoming elections and believe Kulanu party leader Moshe Kahlon is the candidate best suited to tackle these problems, according to a Channel 10 poll released Sunday.

The survey of several hundred participants by HaMidgam placed “security issues” as the second-highest concern, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu considered the top candidate to deal with those threats.

According to the poll, 53 percent of voters believe social issues and cost of living are the number one priority in selecting a candidate, while 24% maintain the security threat is the most pressing issue. Only nine percent of respondents said the peace process and issues of religion and state were most important.

Netanyahu is perceived as the leading candidate on security issues (39%), followed by Zionist Camp chairman Isaac Herzog (22%), Yisrael Beytenu head Avigdor Liberman (16%), Jewish Home leader Naftali Bennett (15%), Yesh Atid chief Yair Lapid (4%) Kahlon (3%).

While respondents had the least confidence in Kahlon in terms of security, the Kulanu party leader was rated the highest on social matters (31%), followed by Herzog (21%), Bennett (14%), and Lapid (11%). Netanyahu was rated the lowest at 10%.

With regard to the airstrike in Syria last Sunday, attributed to Israel, the respondents were split on whether the strike was carried out for political considerations or was purely a security-driven move. Some 38% said the strike was carried out for strict security-related reasons, while 37% said it was politically motivated.