Most don’t trust Health Ministry’s handling of pandemic, poll finds

Israelis only moderately trust the government bodies most responsible for handling the coronavirus crisis, according to a survey conducted by the Blueberries Institute and the Galai Communication public-relations company. Yet, they still feel a sense of national strength and are confident society will prevail.

The average sense of strength was 5.42 out of 7, the survey found.

When asked about their level of trust in the various bodies handling the coronavirus crisis, the IDF received the highest score (5.5 out of 7), followed by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency, 5.49) and the Mossad (5.47). Less trusted was the government’s ability to end the crisis (4.92) and the police (4.9).

Trust in the IDF was lower among participants ages 25-34. The level of trust in the police was higher among participants age 65 and over, the survey said.

The Health Ministry was rated 4.29. Individuals age 65 and over generally believe more in the ability of the state to end the crisis, the survey said.

Trust that Israelis are cooperating with the emergency directives received 4.77 out of 7. Young adults 18-24 expressed the highest level of trust in society.

Belief in Israel’s economic strength and its ability to rebuild once the crisis ends received 5.08, the feeling of love toward the country scored 5.99, and national pride was rated 5.59. Women topped men in regard to national pride.

When asked to rank different emotions, the top-ranked feeling was a sense of security that Israel will prevail (5.57), followed by hope (5.02) and serenity and calmness (4.13).

The report was based on a survey of 576 Jewish respondents ages 16-65 across Israel. A similar post-Passover survey is expected to be published soon.

The responses were generally similar to the findings of an ongoing twice-weekly survey conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute.

“For years now, we at Galai Communication are seeking the appropriate public stance,” Galai Communication Company CEO Gal Baysberg said. “Our poll stands as part of a ranking we produced, the national temperament ranking, which has major media implications and will serve as a valuable tool for many public companies as well as benefit us a communications company acting in correlation with the entire public system.”