Results of a new public opinion poll focusing on the current situation in Palestine, particularly the issue of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, COVID-19, has shown an overwhelming approval of the general performance of the government of Mohammad Shtayyeh, unmatched in opinion polls over the past several years.
Survey results in the poll conducted online by the Ramallah-based Arab World for Research and Development (AWRAD) on 800 Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip showed that 82% rated performance as positive, 15% as average, and 3% as weak.
This is an exceptional increase (55%) from a previous survey conducted by AWRAD at the beginning of 2020, when the percentage of positive evaluation reached 27%.
In terms of trust in the government led by Shtayyeh, 80% confirmed that they trusted his government to deal with the ongoing crisis. The positive evaluation of the government performance is equal between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, as well as between women and men.
The most positively evaluated government measures were closing the educational institutions, asking citizens to pray at home, and the quick response to the pandemic.
However, the less positively evaluated measures were dealing with the issue of workers in Israel and the Israeli settlements, workers’ compensation, and insufficient examination centers.
The respondents gave the Ministry of Health a score of 7 out of 10, the Palestinian media 6.7, NGOs 5.5, and the private sector 4.6.
In addition, 40% of respondents expect an increase in community violence and 33% expect an increase in domestic violence.
With the onset of the crisis, 10% stated that they had totally lost their jobs and 9% had partially lost them due to the onset of the crisis, as 30% expect to lose their jobs in the coming time period as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
The results showed that 71% report that family income has declined (significantly or edly) due to the pandemic, 58% of women report that their household duties have increased, compared to 40% of men, 41% of women say that childcare duties have increased, compared to 32% of men, 12. 59% of respondents are fully committed to the government’s stay-at-home order and 57% do their work (in whole or in part) remotely from home.