Israelis are pessimistic about life in their country with half saying the situation is worse than before Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power.

According to the latest edition of the Israeli Voice Index, a monthly survey conducted by the Viterbi Family Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research, just 28 per cent of respondents described themselves optimistic about Israel’s internal security.

Sixty per cent feared they, or someone close to them, would be harmed in a terror attack during the upcoming month of Ramadan, with Jewish and Arab Israelis expressing similar levels of concern.

Almost half (47 per cent) considered the country’s current situation bad or very bad, the highest proportion since 2007.

Half believed the situation has worsened in a number of key areas under the current government with 72 per cent believing that tensions between different groups in Israeli society have worsened since it took office.

Trust in the Supreme Court remained steady at 44 per cent but almost a fifth (18.5 per cent) said they had participated in protest activities against the proposed judicial overhaul, which critics contend will weaken democracy, up from 13 per cent the previous month.

The change reflected rising involvement from Arab respondents, doubling from 7 per cent to 14 per cent, with the proportion of Jews taking part in protests up from 15 per cent to 19 per cent.

Among Jews joining the demonstrations, 45.5 per cent described themselves as on the political left, 37.5 per cent in the centre and 17 per cent on the right.