Survey: Public trust in IDF higher than ever, ‘noticeable decline’ in faith in government

The Israel Defense Forces and local authorities have received the highest trust ratings of any public institution among Jewish Israelis in the 2023 Israeli Democracy Index survey, while Arab Israeli faith in public institutions was seen to be on the rise.

The survey, usually taken annually, was conducted in June 2023 and then repeated at the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024 to gauge public sentiment following the outbreak of the war in Gaza, sparked by Hamas’s October 7 massacre.

Among Jewish Israelis, the IDF has the highest trust rating among state institutions (86 percent on average), followed by municipalities/local authorities (55% in June, 64% in December) and President Isaac Herzog (54% in June, 61% in December).

On the other end of the spectrum, the survey finds a “noticeable decline in trust in the government and the Knesset” (from 28% to 23% for the government, and from 24% to 19% for the Knesset).

Among Arab Israelis, where trust in state institutions is generally lower than among Jewish Israelis, the survey finds a sharp rise in trust since October 7. Trust in the IDF rose among Arab Israelis from 21% in June to 44% in December, according to the index, and the Supreme Court led the trust rankings (26% in June and 53% in December).

“The rupture that we experienced following the events of October 7th is reflected in the findings of this year’s Israeli Democracy Index: the public places great trust in the IDF and its commanders, who set a personal example, take responsibility, and act with courage and conviction in every aspect of the war,” IDI president Yohanan Plesner says in a statement.