A new Israel Hayom poll showed that 90% of Israelis are concerned about coronavirus – but a full 30% do not wear masks on a regular basis.
The poll, conducted by Maagar Mochot, also showed that 40% of Israelis changed their shopping habits, and 47% are optimistic regarding the possibility of a return to normal life within the next year.
When asked to grade various officials on their management of the coronavirus crisis, respondents gave Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu a 2.53 out of 5, while they gave Defense Minister Benny Gantz (Blue and White) a score of 2.31 out of 5. Finance Minister Yisrael Katz (Likud) scored 2.65, while Health Minister Yuli Edelstein (Likud) scored 2.58.
When asked how their financial situation had been influenced by the outbreak, 52% of respondents said it had suffered, while 45% said it had not changed. A small minority, 3%, said their financial situation had improved due to the outbreak.
Regarding their financial habits, 50% of Israelis said they had reduced the amount of money spent on unnecessary items, while 27% said their habits had not changed. Another 14% said they had reduced spending on essential products.
Four percent of Israelis said they had increased the amount they spend on basic items, while 1% said they increased the amount spent on unnecessary items, and 4% said they did not know or gave other answers.
Seventy-percent of Israelis said they are careful to wear masks in all required instances, while 21% said they wear masks in most required situations. Two percent of Israelis said they hardly ever wear masks, while another 2% said they wear masks only in enclosed spaces, and 5% said they did not know or gave other answers.
When asked how worried they are about the health of those close to them, 20% of Israelis said they were "very very worried," and another 22% said they were "very worried." Thirty-three percent said they were moderately worried, 15% said they were slightly worried, and 7% said they were not at all worried. The last 3% said they did not know or gave other answers.
At the same time, 53% of Israelis were pessimistic regarding whether Israel would be able to return to normalcy within the next year, while the other 47% were optimistic.
Sixty-seven percent of Israelis said the coronavirus outbreak had changed how often they left the house and where they went, and 40% said they had switched to online grocery shopping. Just 18% said they were visiting family as usual, and 38% said they did not change the number of times per week they physically went into work.