Israel Religion and State Index
Spring 2010
Survey: Rafi Smith and Olga Paniel, Smith Research Institute
Editor: Shahar Ilan
May 31, 2010
About the Study:
The research is based on a public opinion survey of Israel’s adult Jewish population, conducted by telephone from January 25th to 28th, 2010. An especially large sample group of 800 Jewish men and women (ages 18 and up), representative of the adult Jewish population in Israel, were surveyed on a wide range of topics concerning the status of religion and state in Israel. The sampling error is 3.4%.
Survey subjects were asked to self-identify according to religious affiliation:
| 50% |
secular |
| 28% |
traditional |
| 13% |
religious |
| 9% |
ultra-Orthodox |
Executive Summary
70% of Jewish Israelis are opposed to new religious legislation, of these, 53% object to any sort of religious legislation and 17% support only the continuation of current legislation. Nevertheless, 30% support wide-spread religious legislation to the fullest possible extent, including a percentage of the national religious (non-haredi Orthodox) public. Those opposed to new religious legislation include 84% of Kadima voters, 69% of Likud voters, 92% of Israel Beytenu voters, and 89% of Labor and Meretz voters.
In addition, 35% of respondents said it is highly likely they would vote for a party dedicated to religious freedom. The Spring 2010 Religion and State Index focuses on the connection between freedom of religion and politics. 35% of voters said there is a good chance that they would vote for a new party whose central issue would be the struggle for religious freedom and equality in the carrying of the national burden. Among secular Israelis and new immigrants, 48% said there is a good chance they would vote for such a party. The parties that stand to suffer serious damage from the founding of such a party would include Kadima (48% of whose voters said there is a good chance they would vote for such a party) Israel Beytenu (49% of whose voters also said the same) and Labor and Meretz, for whom the number is 46%.
44% of undecided voters say they would support a party devoted to freedom of religion issues. 39% of the respondents said that they don’t know for whom they would vote if elections for the Knesset were held today. Among this segment of the public, which holds such great importance to the established parties, there is especially high support for freedom of religion and equality in carrying the national burden.
44% of undecided voters said that there is a good chance they would vote for a party list devoted to freedom of religion and equality in carrying the national burden; as opposed to 35% of the general public who said they would support such a party. 71% of undecided voters support separation of religion and state, as opposed to 55% of the general public. 76% are opposed to new religious legislation, as opposed to 70% of the general public.
42% of the general public said that tension between haredi and secular is the most serious schism in Israeli Jewish society, nearly twice as many as said that the most serious divide was between political right and left (23%). In addition, 65%, nearly two-thirds of the Jewish public, said that haredi-secular tension is the most difficult or second-most difficult source of tension within Jewish Israeli society, as opposed to 45% who answered that the first or second greatest tension was that between right-wing and left-wing Israeli Jews.
76% of the general public opposes retroactively revoking conversions. A very serious opposition was found in regard to the strict policy enacted by rabbinic courts in regard to conversions. 76% of the Jewish public is against retroactive reversal of conversions by the rabbinic courts. 66% of the public is against the policy of making conversions dependent on the applicant observing the Sabbath and the laws of Kashrut.