Public trust in IDF higher than ever, faith in government drops further - survey
Support for IDF jumps among Arab-Israelis, with more than 50 percent viewing the military in a positive light
The Israel Democracy Institute published findings from a national survey on Thursday, showing public faith in the Israel Defense Forces and other public services is higher than ever, including among Arab-Israelis.
Among the government, the statistics showed a drop in already low public favor.
The institute expected significant changes in the wake of the massacre on October 7, polling at the end of 2023 and the start of 2024 in comparison with previous data from June 2023.
Among Jewish Israelis, 86.5 percent reported positive opinions of the IDF, a slight increase from 85.5 percent in June. However, 44 percent of Arab-Israelis in December said they had faith in the military, up from 18 percent last June.
The Israel Democracy Institute said this sharp uptick may be due to a fear of expressing a negative opinion of the military during wartime, although it may also be an increased sense of belonging in Israel, particularly after Hamas terrorists targeted Arab-Israelis just as they targeted Jewish Israelis during the October 7 massacre.
The Israel Police enjoyed the highest rise in public opinion among Jewish Israelis with 58.5 percent favorability at the end of 2023, compared to 35 percent in June. In the same time frame, positive opinions of the police rose to 38 percent from 17 percent in the Arab sector.
Faith in the Netanyahu government dropped among Jewish Israelis from 28 percent to 23 percent. Meanwhile, among Arab-Israelis this statistic actually rose from 18 percent in June to 19 percent in December.
This trend was seen in greater strength for faith in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, with 18 percent of Arab-Israelis reporting favorability toward the government in June rising to 28 percent in December. Among Jewish Israelis, this statistic dropped from 24 percent to 19 percent.