Only one-third of Israelis want Netanyahu to remain in power, Hebrew University study reveals

Jerusalem Post/Israel Election 2026The study was conducted by Dr. Nimrod Nir of the Agam Institute and Dr. Gayil Talshir of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem on October 5–6, 2026. The sample included 2,437 respondents.Follow us on GoogleIsraeli Prime Minister and Likud party chairman Benjamin Netanyahu, surrounded by supporters, during an election campaign tour in the southern Israeli city of Ashdod, September 29, 2026(photo credit: Liron Moldovan/Flash90)OCTOBER 9, 2026 09:52Only about one-third of Israelis want Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to remain in office after the upcoming October 27 Knesset elections, according to a Hebrew University survey published on Wednesday.Among the roughly two-thirds of interviewees who said they wanted an alternative candidate, about half pointed to Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot as their choice for the next prime minister, and the remainder were divided between former prime minister Naftali Bennett (B'Yachad party) and MK Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu).Worry and uncertainty about the future of the State of IsraelThe findings, according to researchers, point to a significant crisis of confidence in the state's future. When asked about their general feelings toward Israel's future, 36% of respondents reported feeling pessimistic, compared with 33% who reported feeling optimistic. Researchers noted that this represented a decline in both optimism and pessimism compared to previous years, indicating greater overall uncertainty.Under 25% of Israelis believe that their children will live in a better reality than they do now, and less than half of those surveyed reported believing that Israel is safer today than it was before October 7, 2023. What is more, nearly one-third of respondents believe the country is less safe than it was before the war. About 20% of interviewees said they were considering leaving Israel due to the current security situation and ongoing social issues.(L-R): Yashar head Gadi Eisenkot; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (credit: FLASH90)Did Netanyahu achieve 'total victory'?Asked about Netanyahu's stated objectives for the Israel-Hamas War, less than 20% reported believing that "total victory" was achieved. Approximately half of Israelis said that the government held the greatest responsibility for the security failures that enabled the October 7 massacre and subsequent war; about one-third laid the blame on the security establishment. More than half of Israelis, both Jewish and Arab, reported believing that the war has increased divisions within Israeli society -- an increase from previous years -- while only about one-quarter believe the opposite, that the war has strengthened national unity.The study was conducted by Dr. Nimrod Nir of the Agam Institute and Dr. Gayil Talshir of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem on October 5–6, 2026. The sample included 2,437 respondents, all Israeli citizens.The sample is representative of Israel’s adult population, age 17 and above, in terms of gender, age, religion, region of residence, voting in the 25th Knesset elections, level of religiosity, and ethnic background among Jewish citizens, who constitute 83% of the sample, as well as religious affiliation among Arab citizens, who constitute 17% of the weighted sample.Data were collected online using the Polyeda platform. The Jewish sample was recruited through iPanel, while the Arab sample was collected through telephone sampling.The sampling error is ±3.2% at a 99% confidence level.Follow us on Google