The Israel Democracy Institute published its Peace Index showing the majority of Jews in Israel are pleased with the outcome of the general elections.

The Peace Index: January 2013

Date Published: 13/02/2013

Survey dates: 03/02/2013 – 04/02/2013

The January Index

General satisfaction with the overall election results. A majority of the Jewish public (57%) is satisfied with the latest election results (the rate of those “very satisfied” is 6.2%). A segmentation of satisfaction with the election results by the party for which the respondent voted (regarding parties that passed the electoral threshold) shows that the highest rate of satisfaction is found among voters for Yesh Atid (74%) and Habayit Hayehudi (72%)—that is, the two new parties that got more votes than most predictions anticipated. After these parties, in descending order of satisfaction, were: (The Movement) Hatnuah and Likud Beiteinu (61% each), Meretz (48%), Labor (46%), United Torah Judaism (44%), Shas (36%), and Kadima (0%). A different picture emerges for the Arab voters, with the majority of respondents (54%) saying they were not satisfied with the election outcomes.

At peace with their own vote. In response to the question “Now that the election results are known, would you vote for the same party that you voted for?,” 83% of the Jewish public responded that they were sure or they think that there vote would be the same (the rate for the Arab public was 75%). A segmentation of the responses of the Jewish public by the parties that the respondents voted for shows that the lowest rate of those who would vote for the same party is found among Hatnuah voters—only 64%.

We also asked: “In the recent election, was there a party that you liked most, but did not vote for because you thought it would not pass the electoral threshold and your vote would have been wasted?” An overwhelming majority (84%) of the Jewish respondents said there was no such party; however, a non-negligible percentage of voters remains who could possibly have enabled their party to pass the electoral threshold had they voted for the party they really preferred. The picture in the Arab public regarding this matter is very similar, with 80% responding that there was no party that they preferred but that did not get their vote due to concern that it would not pass the electoral threshold.

Read the entire survey

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)