הלגיטימציה השלטונית בישראל על רקע המדיניות הציבורית המגבילה בתקופת מגפת הקורונה

The public policy implemented in Israel to end the COVID-19 pandemic limited the individual freedom of Israeli citizens. This policy suffered from a lack of uniformity in the various sectors of society regarding the nature and enforcement of the regulations and restrictions. This period was marked by governmental instability in Israel, leading to repeated elections within a short time. In addition, the Prime Minister was embroiled in legal proceedings on suspicion of corruption. Therefore, this study examines Israelis’ attitudes regarding the perceived legitimacy of the government during the COVID-19 pandemic in light of aspects of public policy and against the backdrop of political instability and suspicions of government corruption. The findings of the study are based on an attitude survey of approximately 740 Israeli citizens (Jews and Arabs). The findings indicate the effect of perceptions of government policy as flawed, politicized, and discriminatory on the degree of governmental legitimacy perceived by citizens. In addition, evidence was found indicating that the political instability and suspicions of government corruption affected the perceived degree of governmental legitimacy. The main innovation of the study is the finding that citizens’ political identification has a mediating role, with a moderating or radicalizing influence, on the relationship between the indicators examined and the perceived degree of governmental legitimacy.