Israeli students vote.
Israeli students vote.Credit: Gal Liron, Ben Gurion Student Union

The National Union of Students, in cooperation with student associations, conducted an election sample through the polling company Panels among Israeli students.

The survey was answered by more than 3,000 students from educational institutions throughout the country.

The Blue and White list led by Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid won the most votes among Israeli students, with 47 seats. Next, the Zehut party of Moshe Feiglin received significant backing from young people in Israel - 17 seats. The Meretz party won 15 seats, Labor won 14, while the Likud party received only 13 Knesset seats. Right-wing parties - Union of Right-Wing Parties (URP) led by Rafi Peretz and the New Right led by Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked and Education Minister Naftali Bennett - received seven mandates each.

Shlomi Yichiav, chairman of the National Student Union, said, "Israeli students point out time and time again that the pressing issue for them is the economic situation and the cost of living in Israel. The largest segment of young people in Israel is desperate for a solution."

"I demand from the government that will be formed - whether right or left - that it will take responsibility for this issue and invest the maximum resources in order to create a better future for us," asserted Yichiav.

Parties that found themselves below the threshold of the national student sample: United Torah Judaism led by Yaakov Litzman (2.8%), Hadash-Ta’al headed by Ayman Odeh and Ahmad Tibi (2.0%), Shas headed by Aryeh Deri (1.9%), Gesher headed by Orly Levy- Abekasis (1.1%), and 5% are still deliberating on who they will vote for in the coming elections.

In addition, students who voted were asked what is the most important issue for them in the elections. About half of the students chose the socioeconomic issue (the cost of living) as the most important issue, while the political-security issue won 21% of the students' votes. The other important issues for students in descending order were the state of Israeli democracy (14%), religion and state (12%), and other (4%).