2026 Religion and State Index
64% of Israeli Jews Want a Government Without Haredim, or One That Does Not Give in to Their Demands
12/11/2026 14:37
Tags: Religion and State Index
Attitudes of the adult Jewish public toward including the Haredi parties in the coalition
Hiddush’s annual survey has found that nearly two-thirds (64%) of Israel's adult Jewish public support forming a broad coalition after the next election — either without the Haredi parties, or including them but without accepting their demands on religion-and-state issues, such as exemption of yeshiva students from conscription, increased funding for religious institutions, a ban on public transportation on Shabbat, and blocking civil marriage.
Released in the days before Rosh Hashanah, the survey found that this position is shared by 86% of secular Israelis, 63% of non-religious traditional Israelis, 60% of traditional Israelis close to religion, and 45% of the religious public.
The 2026 Religion and State Index — carried out by the Smith Polling Institute for Hiddush, an organization advocating for religious freedom and
Among voters for parties outside the current coalition, support for advancing freedom of religion and equality ranges from 77% to 100%
equality in Israel — is the 18th annual Religion and State Index published by Hiddush. The Index is the only systematic and in‑depth periodic survey of the Jewish‑Israeli public’s views on religion and state, and its findings present a comprehensive picture of the full range of contested issues in this arena and enable the tracking of shifts over time across social, political, and religious segments.
The Index findings expose the wide gap between the government's repeated claim that it represents the will of the people and the actual positions of the majority of the adult Jewish public. On every religion-and-state issue tested — from conscripting yeshiva students and sanctioning draft-dodgers to civil marriage — the majority position runs counter to current government policy and favors freedom of religion and equality. Even among coalition party voters,
Attitudes of the adult Jewish public toward including the Haredi parties in the coalition
a significant share opposes government policy.
Voters for the ‘Change Bloc’ — and What Their Representatives Will Actually Do
Among voters for parties outside the current coalition, support for advancing freedom of religion and equality ranges from 77% to 100% across every issue tested. Between 83% and 92% of them said a party's commitment to religion-and-state issues would increase the likelihood they'd vote for it. Notably, most of these parties have not yet put forward a comprehensive platform on the issue; their opposition to the Haredi parties centers mainly on the conscription question. Among undecided voters — the group likely to determine the election's outcome — 95% said such a commitment would increase the likelihood they'd vote for that party. Among the secular public, the figure is 83%.
58% of the adult Jewish public supports equal status for all streams of Judaism in Israel Tags: Religion and State Index
Support for Jewish Pluralism and Equality for All Streams of Judaism
58% of the adult Jewish public supports equal status for all streams of Judaism in Israel. Support was even higher between the Index's launch in 2009 (when Hiddush was founded) and 2020 — suggesting a link between the current government's attacks on and delegitimization of Reform Judaism, and the subsequent decline in support for equal status among the streams. Among the secular public, support stands at 87%. High support was also measured among voters for the ‘change bloc’ parties (86–93%) — grounds for expecting, or at least demanding, a dramatic policy shift if they form the next government, whether pushed by Israeli non-Orthodox movements or by Diaspora Jewish leadership.
For additional findings from the 2026 Religion and State Index, click here
Attitudes of the adult Jewish public regarding recognizing equal status for the three major streams of Judaism