Half of Israelis say it’s harder to choose a party than in the past

Half of Israelis say it’s harder to pick a party to vote for than it was in the past, a major new survey of political attitudes finds.

The greatest difficulty in choosing lies in the center, Israelis say.

The survey, by the Guttman Center at the Jerusalem-based Israel Democracy Institute, asked: “Do you agree or disagree with the following sentence: ‘Because of the many changes that have recently occurred in the party map, it is harder for me than in the past to decide which party to vote for’?”

Overall, 50 percent say it is harder. More than half, 56%, of respondents who say they come from the “left” say so. On the self-defined “moderate left” it drops to 49%. On the “moderate right” it’s 50% and on the “right” 46%. Among those saying they’re the “center” the figure is highest of all: 67%.

The Israeli political center may have the most indecisive voters, but they’re also the most optimistic ones.

The survey asks respondents how optimistic they are about the future. In general, the left is pessimistic, the right optimistic, and the center most optimistic of them all.

Just 38% of respondents who say they come from the “left” are “very optimistic or moderately optimistic” about Israel’s future. On the “moderate left” it rises to 50%. On the “moderate right,” 71% and on the “right” 75%. Among those saying they’re the “center” the figure is highest of all: 79%.