A Portrait of Israelis in 2014, By the Numbers
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
J.J. Goldberg May 9, 2014
Yediot Ahronot published a survey of Israeli Jewish adults on May 5, aimed at showing where the nation stood on its 66th birthday and where the younger generation was headed. Broken down by generation — over 50, 35 to 49 and under 35 — it shows a population that’s growing steadily more religious, more politically right-wing and more pessimistic about where the country is headed and their own generation’s economic prospects.
The telephone survey was conducted by pollster Rafi Smith April 24-28 in a representative sample of 500 Israeli Jewish adults. Margin of error 4.5%
For the sake of brevity, we’ll call the three generations O for over 50, M for middle (35-49) and Y for younger, aged 18 to 34. CA stands for combined national average.
Is Israel headed in the right direction?
Yes/No: O = 33/46, M = 29/54, Y = 24/63. CA = 29/54.
Are your generation’s economic prospects better or worse than your parent’s generation? Better/Worse: O = 65/27, M = 53/40, Y = 45/45.
How would you describe your political worldview? Right/Center/Left:
O = 47/25/28, M = 50/21/29, Y = 58/20/22. CA = 51/22/27.
How would you define yourself religiously? (Religious = Orthodox + Haredi)
Religious/Traditional/Secular: O = 15/31/54, M = 19/25/56, Y = 30/21/49.
Do you have a smartphone? If yes, do you use it to connect to the Internet?
Have, connect/Have, don’t connect/Don’t have:
O = 30/18/52, M = 68/6/26, Y = 69/6/25. CA = 54/10/36.
Do regularly read books? If so, do you read print, electronic or both?
Print/Elec/Both/Rarely: O = 58/3/7/32, M = 58/7/8/27, Y = 55/6/13/26.
Did you participate in political or social activism in the past year?
O = 12, M = 20, Y = 21. CA = 17.
(5% participated in demonstration, 3% signed petition, 3% met a politician, 2% belong to a party)
Do you agree/disagree with the idea that most of the Western world is against us? Agree: O = 47, M = 47, Y = 63. CA = 52.
Without connection to your current family situation, would you agree to your children living abroad? Yes: O = 40, M = 56, Y = 56. CA = 50. Men 54, Women 46.
In a televised discussion accompanying the article on Yediot’s Ynet website, pollster Smith said that the dramatic rise in the Orthodox proportion of the under-35 population is due to high birthrate in the Orthodox community. Also of note, he said that the openness to living abroad was significantly higher among secular than among Orthodox.
If you read Hebrew, you can see the survey in graphic form here. An abbreviated version appears in English here.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
