Israelis Spend Significantly More on Election Day
Translated & summarized from Now 14 by baba
Israelis spent over NIS 250 million on credit cards by 11 AM on election day, a 26.5% increase from the 2022 elections. This surge in consumer spending coincided with record voter turnout, reaching 16.68% by 10 AM. The trend suggests families are combining their civic duty with leisure activities on the national holiday.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Israeli credit card spending on election day surged by 26.5% compared to 2022.
- Over NIS 250 million was spent by 11 AM on election day.
- Peak spending saw over NIS 2.39 million transacted in one minute.
- Consumer spending coincided with record voter turnout of 16.68% by 10 AM.
- The spending increase suggests Israelis are combining voting with leisure.
Israeli consumers dramatically increased their spending on election day, with credit card purchases surging by tens of percent compared to previous elections. Data from Sheba, a company managing national credit card payment systems, revealed that between 8:00 AM and 11:00 AM, Israelis spent over NIS 250 million. This represents a substantial 26.5% increase compared to the same period during the 2022 elections, when spending was just under NIS 198.31 million. The spending also outpaced the local elections in January 2024 by 10.6%.
The peak spending occurred just before 11:00 AM, with over NIS 2.39 million spent in a single minute, reflecting more than 11,300 transactions. This surge in commercial activity across food chains, leisure sites, and fashion stores indicates that Israeli families are utilizing the day off to combine voting with family outings. The heightened consumer activity coincided with record-breaking voter turnout, with the Central Elections Committee reporting 16.68% of eligible voters had cast their ballots by 10:00 AM, the highest rate for that hour in 45 years. This turnout is 0.78 percentage points higher than in 2022, suggesting Israelis are prioritizing their democratic right before heading to leisure and shopping centers.
