Poll: Optimism rises among Israeli Jews ahead of Rosh Hashanah

Israeli Jews are more optimistic this year than last about their country’s future, according to a survey released ahead of Rosh Hashanah. The Jewish People Policy Institute’s Israeli Society Index found that 43% of Jewish Israelis believe Israel is improving and will continue to improve, up from 36% last year. Among right-wing respondents, optimism rose to 76%, compared with 68% a year ago. Overall, 35% of Israelis said the country is improving and will get better, while 30% said Israel is declining and the decline will continue. The latter figure fell from 38% last year. The report said, “the right has become more optimistic about the present, while the center-left has become more optimistic about the future.” Among Arab Israelis, the sentiment was quite different. Only 5% expressed strong optimism, the survey found, while 54% said Israel is declining and will continue to decline — virtually unchanged from last year. Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Newsletter email address Get it By signing up, you agree to the terms Views of the past year were mixed. Economic assessments improved with 30% calling the year bad, down from 35%, while 18% called it good, up from 11%. The social sphere remained the weakest area, with 52% describing the year as bad and only 4% as good. Meanwhile, 49% said the world is declining, virtually unchanged from last year. The survey was conducted in September with 663 Jewish respondents and 206 Arab respondents. Advertisement Jews and Arabs take part in a demonstration against Israeli settlements in the West Bank and to mark the anniversary of the Six-Day War in Haifa, northern Israel, June 6, 2026. (Sharon Leibel/Flash90) Political divides persist A separate Israel Democracy Institute poll reported last month found a substantial Jewish-Arab gap when respondents were asked about the future of Israeli democracy. Among Jewish respondents, 43% were optimistic about the future of Israeli democracy, compared with 24.5% of Arab respondents, while the figure across the full sample was 40%. The poll also reflected widespread concern over the country’s political climate ahead of the October 27 election. Overall, 70% of Israelis said there was a danger to the integrity of the election, including 72% of Jewish respondents and 58.5% of Arab respondents. Concern crossed political lines, though it was highest on the left, at 90%, compared with 76% in the center and 66% on the right. Haredi men protest outside the Basimta cafe for opening on Shabbat while secular counterprotesters stand in front of them, in Jerusalem on August 8, 2026. (Oren Ben Hakoon/Flash90) A July JPPI survey also found a modest continuation of the Jewish Israeli public’s rightward shift, with 66% of Jewish respondents identifying as being on the right, up from 63% a year earlier. The share identifying as being on the left fell from 22% to 19%, while 13% placed themselves exactly in the center, up from 10%. Internal divisions remain a leading concern Concerns about the state of Israeli society were also evident in a survey by the Institute for National Security Studies reported by Ynet last month. In a July poll, 39% of respondents identified violent conflict between groups within Israeli society as one of the three greatest threats facing the country over the next five years — tied with Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon. In the same poll, more than half, 54%, assessed a violent internal conflict as likely to occur, while 69% said such a scenario had a high potential to cause serious damage. Sixty-four percent said the state was poorly or very poorly prepared to deal with such an internal confrontation. In a separate Israel Hayom survey, 30% of respondents identified polarization as the issue that worried them most, narrowly ahead of the economic situation at 29%, while security and education were each cited by 18%. Advertisement People attend a Democrats party conference at Rabin Square in Tel Aviv, July 25, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90) The same survey found that 41% of respondents favored a unity government, including 48% of Likud voters and 45% of opposition voters. A narrow government of either the right or the left was preferred by 33% of respondents overall. The July JPPI survey found that 13% of respondents ranked unity and reducing internal conflict as their top election priority, while JPPI president Yedidia Stern warned that previous surveys had identified Israel’s internal rift as the country’s “most central and dangerous enemy.” Help us report truthfully on social media As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos. This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world. If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism , please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting. — Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist Support our work Support our work Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this You're a dedicated reader We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month. That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world. So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE , as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members. Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel Join Our Community Join Our Community Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this Most Popular 1 8 Muslim-majority nations pan proposals by Katz, Ben Gvir promoting Gaza emigration 2 Analysis German far-right AfD party’s projected win puts Jews between the left and a hard place 3 Report: Alerted to Hamas onslaught, Netanyahu took 2 hours to leave home, didn’t speak to IDF chief for 3 4 Adidas faces boycott calls over promotion featuring ex-IDF soldier who lost leg in 2021 5 Macklemore calls for a ‘Free Palestine’ while opening for Ed Sheeran at New Jersey show 6 1,370 doctors left Israel over past 3 years, research finds, the equivalent of a hospital 7 Adidas apologizes for ‘offense’ over promotion featuring ex-IDF soldier who lost leg in 2021 8 Israel demands Belgium apologize after Gaza aid worker’s possible Hamas link emerges read more: Israel Inside Israeli society Jewish People Policy Institute Israeli Jews Israeli democracy surveys Arab Israelis If you’d like to comment, join The Times of Israel Community. JOIN THE TOI COMMUNITY Already a member? Log in here close popup Sign in or Join The Times of Israel Community Sign in or Register Paying ToI Community members are invited to comment on articles Email address * Please use the following structure: [email protected] Continue Or Continue with By joining you agree to the terms and conditions Send me The Times of Israel Daily Edition back close popup Register to continue Email address * Change REGISTER Or Continue with back close popup Log in to continue Email address * Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.. Continue back close popup Sign in or Join The Times of Israel Community Sign in or Register You are currently registered. Please join The Times of Israel Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits Only ToI Community members can comment below articles Email address * Password * Incorrect password. Please try again or choose an option below. Forgot your password? / Send me a login link Continue Sign in without joining Or Continue with close popup Check your email We sent an email to you at . It has a link that will sign you in. Click the link in that email to complete registration so you can comment. back close popup Join The Times of Israel Community Commenting is available for paying members of The Times of Israel Community only. Please join our Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits. Email address * Please use the following structure: [email protected] JOIN NOW! close popup Thank you! Now check your email You are now a member of The Times of Israel Community! We sent you an email with a login link to . Once you're set up, you can start enjoying Community benefits and commenting.