Poll: Most Israelis Disappointed by Government’s COVID Policies

The majority of the Israeli public is disappointed by the government’s COVID crisis policies, a Channel 12 survey has found.

Sunday’s poll showed that 63% of the public thinks Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s government is failing to properly handle the pandemic, compared to 34% who believe the government is doing everything it can.

The Midgam Polling Institute’s results found that 62% of respondents think the way Bennett was handling the fifth resurgence of the pandemic is “bad,” while 34% defined it as “good.”

Asked to rate Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz’s performance, 57% said he was failing, while 35% said his performance is adequate.

The majority of the public, 65%, also gave Education Minister Yifat Shasha-Biton a failing grade, while 28% said her performance was solid.

Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman had the worst public approval ratings, with 66% of respondents saying he is failing at his job, while 26% saying his performance is adequate.

The poll also found that only 35% of the public believes the government’s COVID-19 testing policies are good, while 60% said ministers’ policies were a failure.

Channel 12 also asked respondents for their opinion on the restrictions imposed on the public over the outbreak, to which 65% said they support expanding restrictions placed on public gatherings, while 31% opposed such a move.

However, 57% opposed imposing another nationwide lockdown, while 36% said that a lockdown was necessary to curtail the pandemic.