A new poll conducted by Professor Camil Fuchs and published Wednesday by Channel 13 News finds that most Israeli citizens are very afraid of what is happening in the country.
Participants in the poll were asked to rate their sense of personal security these days on a scale of 1 to 10. The results are alarming: A quarter of respondents answered 1 - very uncertain, compared to only 2 percent who answered 10 - very confident. The average among all respondents was only 4.12 out of 10. Among all Jews, the average score was 4.07 and among non-Jews it was even higher - 4.43 out of 10.
Poll participants were also asked whether they are avoiding basic activities such as using public transportation, spending time in a mall or visiting other crowded places. The majority, 60 percent of respondents, replied that they are continuing with their normal routines. 37 percent responded that they have been avoiding such activities. In this answer, there is a significant gap between Jews and non-Jews who responded to the survey. 48 percent of non-Jews who participated in the survey avoided basic activities in their daily routine, compared with 35 percent of all Jews.
Is the government handling the current wave of terrorism well? 68 percent of respondents replied that the government is not handling the wave of terrorism well overall, compared to only 15 percent who replied that the government is handling it well. Among non-Jews, 37 percent responded that the government is handling the wave of terrorism well and only 12 percent among all Jews responded in this manner.
On the question of who between Naftali Bennett and Benjamin Netanyahu could better handle the wave of terrorism, the poll shows a decisive victory for Netanyahu. 40 percent of respondents replied that Netanyahu would better handle the terror wave, compared with only 12 percent who said Bennett would better handle the terror wave. 17 percent answered that both are equally capable and 20 percent answered that neither of them could do so properly. 11 percent answered that they do not know.
The last question in the poll examined the position of Israelis regarding the policy on easing restrictions for Palestinian Arab workers. 59 percent of all respondents answered that they oppose easing the restrictions, compared to only 24 percent who said they support the move. 17 percent answered that they do not know.