Most Palestinians support the cooperation between the Palestinian Authority and Israel to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a public opinion poll published by the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion (PCPO).
The poll also found that a majority of Palestinians are satisfied with the performance of the PA health authorities and security forces to combat the spread of the virus.
Conducted during the period from March 12-15, the survey, the first of its kind since the outbreak of the virus, covered 583 Palestinians from east Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
CPCO president Nabil Kukali said the poll has a ±4.5% margin of error.
Asked if they support or oppose the cooperation between Israel and the Palestinians to prevent the spread of coronavirus, 68% of respondents said they supported it at various extents.
Another 80% expressed different approval of the efforts of the PA government in combating the virus spread. More than 60% expressed support for the way the PA security forces have been handling the crisis.
The poll found that 84% of the Palestinians are worried about the spread of the virus in the Palestinian territories.
The results showed that 43% of respondents believe the threat of coronavirus is “exaggerated,” as opposed to 55% who disagree with this assessment.
In response to the question: “When thinking about the coronavirus here in Palestine, which of the following scenarios do you think is the most likely to happen over the next month?”, 43% replied: “The worst is yet to come,” while 34% said the situation will remain largely the same as it is now.
Asked if they believe a foreign power or other force is deliberately causing the spread of the disease, 51% of respondents replied: “No, nobody is behind it, and it’s a natural mutation,” while a considerable rate (47%) said: “Yes, it’s deliberately spread.”
Regarding the impact of the virus on the economic situation in the PA-controlled territories, 70% of those surveyed said they believe their households will be affected.