From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Poll: Israelis worried about virus, finances; trust state not to abuse tracking
A survey finds that most Israelis are concerned they may contract virus and worry about their financial future, but largely approve of the state’s handling of the health crisis.
According to the Israel Democracy Institute’s Peace Index, 76 percent of Israelis fret about the possibility they or their family members will be infected with the virus, and 73% are concerned about financial matters.
Most Jewish respondents (63%) say they trust the Shin Bet security agency as controversial surveillance measures are put in place to stem the virus through phone tracking, but a plurality of Arab respondents (45%) express distrust. Overall, 59% trust the Shin Bet, with those on the right slightly more likely than those with left-wing views.
Most Israelis are pleased with how Netanyahu is handling the crisis (60%), though his health minister, Yaakov Litzman, gets lower marks (40%). Moshe Bar Siman-Tov, the director of the Health Ministry, receives a 68% approval rank.
“83% of Israelis think that the hospitals are doing a good job; 58.5% think the same of the media; and only 39% think that the Ministry of Finance is performing well,” says IDI.
Most respondents in the survey also favor a unity government of Likud and Blue and White (57%), the poll finds, though the survey was conducted before Gantz dissolved the alliance and split off to hold unity negotiations.
The March 24-26, 2020, telephone and internet survey of 611 Jewish respondents and 149 Arab respondents was conducted by the Midgam institute and had a margin of error of 3.7%± .
