Israelis Largely Satisfied With Local Government, Survey Finds

A significant majority of Israelis, 66%, hold a positive view of their local government's performance, according to the 2025 Social Survey released by the Central Bureau of Statistics. Conversely, 27% of the public believe their local authority is not functioning well. The survey highlights disparities between Jewish and Arab populations, with 69% of Jews expressing positive evaluations compared to 53% of Arabs. Similar gaps appear in perceptions of service equality, where 66% of all respondents believe services are provided equitably, a figure that drops to 53% among Arabs.

Among major cities, Petah Tikva and Rishon LeZion show the highest resident satisfaction with their municipal governments, at 85% and 81% respectively. Both cities have seen substantial increases in positive evaluations over the past decade. Jerusalem also experienced a remarkable improvement, with satisfaction rising from 39% in 2015 to 68% in 2025. Tel Aviv-Yafo maintains a high and stable satisfaction rate of 76%, while Ashdod reports 72% positive evaluations. In contrast, some large cities have seen a decline in resident satisfaction, including Netanya (71%), Bnei Brak (56%), and Haifa (56%).

Approximately one-third of Israelis aged 20 and over, around 2.1 million people, utilized local government services in the past year, a rate consistent with a decade ago. Online channels have become the dominant method for contacting authorities, used by 40% of service users, a significant jump from 16% in 2015, with Tel Aviv-Yafo leading at 65% online engagement. In-person meetings with officials have decreased sharply to 39% from 69% in 2015, being more common in smaller towns than in large cities.

Overall satisfaction with services received is high, with 74% of those who contacted their local authority reporting satisfaction, particularly those using online services (79%). Most respondents also reported receiving clear information and satisfactory treatment from officials. However, a significant concern for 28% of service users is the waiting time, a problem more pronounced in large cities where 34% experienced lengthy waits compared to 25% in smaller localities. The survey is based on responses from 6,452 individuals aged 20 and above.