New Poll Shows First-Time Voters Favor Benny Gantz, Surprise Low for Itamar Ben-Gvir

A new poll surveying young Israelis aged 18-22 who will be voting for the first time reveals that the National Unity party, led by Benny Gantz, would receive 16% of their votes if elections were held today. The Likud party follows closely with 14%.

The survey, conducted by the Madgam Institute for "Ha'Idura Ha'Merkazit," indicates that 550,000 young Israelis will be eligible to vote for the first time in the upcoming elections. Despite 74% of these young voters identifying as right-wing or center-right, their voting intentions do not show a dramatic shift from current national polls.

Notably, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit party garnered only 5% of the first-time voters' support, a surprisingly low figure. The Religious Zionism party received 6%, and Yisrael Beiteinu also secured 6%. Within the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) community specifically, United Torah Judaism leads with 45% of young Haredi voters, while Shas lags significantly behind with 20%. Otzma Yehudit surprisingly placed third among young Haredi voters with 13%.

Regarding leadership suitability, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is favored over Gantz, with 47% believing Netanyahu is more suitable compared to 37% for Gantz. Netanyahu also leads Benny Gantz in a head-to-head comparison, with 46% favoring Netanyahu versus 34% for Gantz.

Additionally, 59% of first-time voters stated they would vote similarly to their parents, while 21% indicated they would vote differently. Of those voting differently, 14% would support coalition parties, while 23% would support opposition parties, even if their parents vote for the Netanyahu bloc.