Sunday, January 4, 2015


Extensive poll finds Jews, Arabs proud to be Israeli GIL HOFFMAN 1-4-15 Jeruselem Post
Both Israeli Jews and Arabs are proud to be Israeli, according to the extensive annual Israel Democracy Institute Democracy Index, which IDI president Yohanan Plesner and academic director Tamar Hermann presented Sunday to President Reuven Rivlin.

The poll of 1,007 respondents representing a statistical sample of the Israeli adult population has a margin of error of only 3.2%. Since 2003, the Index has served as a critical barometer of Israeli public opinion for Israeli politicians, government decision-makers, and newspapers of record around the world.

The poll found that 86% of Israeli Jews and 65% of Israeli Arabs described themselves as either very or quite proud to be Israeli. Only 13% of Israeli Jews and 34% of Israeli Arabs are not so proud or not proud at all to be Israeli.

When asked which institutions they trust the most, Israeli Jews said the IDF (88%), the president (71%), and Supreme Court (62%). The institutions trusted the least are the Knesset (35%), Chief Rabbinate (29%), and the media (28%).

Among Israeli Arabs, the most trusted institutions are the Supreme Court (60%), the police (57%), president (56%), and surprisingly, the IDF (51%). The institutions trusted least by Arabs are the media (37%), Knesset (36%), and religious leaders (36%).

Three fourths of Israelis (77% of Israeli Jews and 64% of Israeli Arabs) believe that politicians look out for their own interests more than for those of the public who elected them. Twenty percent of Israelis (19% of Jews and 25% of Israeli Arabs) disagree with the statement that politicians look out more for their own interests.

Only 20% of Israelis believe that that they can truly influence government policy. Seventy-six percent of Israelis think they can influence government policy only to little or no extent.

Although 71% of Israeli Jews and 50% of Israeli Arabs said that they do not support nor are active in any political party, 66% of Jewish Israelis and 53% of Arab Israelis are quite or very interested in politics.

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