Israel’s high cost of living and general economic environment will come to voters’ minds this November as the votes roll into the fifth national election since 2019.
A survey released Tuesday by the Israel Institute for Democracy (IDI) found that 44 percent of Israeli respondents said the economic base of a particular political party and the rising cost of living were the main factors influencing their voting decisions. It states that it has plans (if any) to address the
The identity of party leaders and leaders was the main factor for 24% of respondents, according to the Voice of Israel Survey, a monthly survey of public opinion and policy.
Another 14% of respondents said their party’s policies on religion and the state were the main vote draws, and 11% said their party’s stance on security and foreign policy was the biggest issue.
Only 2% of those who voted said the climate crisis and political party platforms on global warming and environmental issues were their main motivations for voting. 50% answered “other”.
The poll was conducted in late July, with 600 men and women interviewed by phone or over the Internet in Hebrew and 150 in Arabic. This constitutes a representative national sample of Israel’s entire adult population aged 18 and over, with a marginal error of 3.59% for her. , IDI said.
An Israeli man is at a shopping center in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon on August 8, 2022. (Flash90)
About half of respondents said they planned to vote for the same party they voted for in the March 2021 election.
This sentiment was strongest among respondents who voted for Unified Torah Judaism. More than 75% of Likud voters polled said they would vote for the party again, and 72% of those who voted for Prime Minister Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid said they would vote for a centrist party again. .
Rapid served as Acting Prime Minister and Foreign Minister in a broad right-center-left coalition, founded in June 2021 and led by Naftali Bennett, before it collapsed this summer. The coalition also included for the first time an Arab political party (Ra’am).
With the exception of Yesh Atid, survey respondents who chose parties in the coalition said they were unlikely to vote again in November. Only 52% of Meretz voters said they would vote for the party again in the next election, 50% again voted for Israel Beitenu led by Avigdor Lieberman, and 33% for the blue and white/New Hope combination slate. said to vote. Benny Ganz and Gideon Searle.
Furthermore, only 2% of Jewish respondents who voted in the 2021 election said they did not plan to go to the polls in November, compared to 21% of Arab respondents who said they would not be at home on election day. I said I was going to
Israelis vote at a polling place in Jerusalem during the 24th Knesset elections on March 23, 2021. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)
An earlier Times of Israel report said pollsters and analysts suggested widespread voter apathy would likely cause many Arab-Israelis to stay home again. Two years ago, her four Arab parties rode a wave of high turnout and won his record 15 seats in the Knesset. But the past two tumultuous years in Israeli politics have dealt a severe blow to both the Joint List camp and the Islamist Lahm Party.
economy
Of survey respondents, regardless of political affiliation, 85% believe the cost of living in Israel is higher than in many Western countries.
Based on the Central Bureau of Statistics June 2022 figures, the consumer price index (CPI) is heading for an annual pace of increase of 5.0% compared to the same period last year. The Consumer Price Index is a measure of inflation that tracks the average cost of household goods. Excludes home prices that have increased by more than 15% compared to last year.
Prices for clothing, footwear, fresh fruit and vegetables fell, while food, transportation and recreation costs rose, according to the Consumer Price Index.
As of last week, electricity rose a whopping 8.6% while gas prices fell.
Respondents to the survey said household costs have risen by an average of 8.5% this year, and housing costs have risen by 7%. According to the report, their biggest financial burden is food and housing (26% and 25%), followed by energy and taxes (15.5% and 13% respectively). Spending on childcare (6%), medical services (4%), tuition (3%) and transportation (3%) was less significant.
A shopping cart at the Rami Levi supermarket in Modin, July 21, 2022. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)
Again, the differences between Jewish and Arab respondents were evident with respect to housing. His 29% of Jewish respondents named housing as their largest and most costly financial expenditure, compared to just 10% of Arab respondents. Among Arab respondents, her two main spending categories were energy (27%) and food (25%).
Additionally, 55% of all respondents said their income had not changed over the past year, while 25% said it had decreased. About 15% said they had more income.
About 33% of Arab respondents said their income had decreased, compared to less than 25% of Jewish respondents, pointing to growing social inequalities.
There were also differences among Jewish respondents with respect to monthly earnings, with about 33% of those earning below average wages reporting a decrease in earnings last year, compared with those earning above average wages. compared to only 15% of people with
stand up stand up
Israel has seen rising inflation above the ceiling projected by the Bank of Israel, home prices rising to their biggest rise in a decade and sparking street protests, and consumer costs leading to calls for a boycott. We expect moderate economic growth in 2022. of items and importers.
The prominent tech sector, which accounts for a significant portion of Israeli exports, has been hit by a global market slowdown, with layoffs reported almost daily.
Israelis protest against rising housing prices and cost of living in Tel Aviv on July 2, 2022. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)
Bank of Israel Governor Amir Yaron said last month that, overall, the Israeli economy “is in a strong position in many respects.”
“Growth is strong, the labor market is tight, government deficits are low, tax revenues are rising, and businesses continue to report improvements,” 1.25 percent. Higher interest rates tend to constrain money flows by making borrowing less attractive, ultimately weakening consumer demand and easing inflationary pressures caused by commodity shortages and cash oversupply. Designed to
On a less positive note, another referendum scheduled for November 1 presented an “environment of political uncertainty” that was “not good for the economy”.
A June IDI study estimated the cost to the economy of the next election to be about 3 billion NIS ($873 million).