80% of the Jewish public supports establishing a civil government coalition

Rafi Smith Research Institute to Hiddush: 80% of the Jewish public in Israel support establishing a civil government coalition that will advance the agenda of religious freedom and equality.

30/01/2013 19:03

Tags: Knesset Coalition · Shas · UTJ

“HaTnua” Chairwoman Tzipi Livni and MK Elazar Stern, 1/03/2013. Photo: Flash 90

A poll conducted by the Rafi Smith Research Institute at the beginning of the week has provided some key results in understanding the feelings of Israeli voters. The polling following the elections further confirms a trend found in Hiddush's research before the elections and earlier [see the 2012 Religion and State Index], demonstrating that the Israeli public wants a serious change in religion and state relations.

Hiddush President Rabbi Uri Regev said in response, "The survey proves that the voting public wants a government that will lead a civil change and will promote religious freedom and equality in the civic burden. This was the message that Lapid’s dramatic showing in the elections conveys. Now Netanyahu must rely on ‘Yesh Atid’ for a future viable coalition rather than the Ultra-Orthodox parties as he did in the past. The vast majority of Likud Beiteinu voters support a civil government, which shows that the era in which Ultra-Orthodox parties are natural coalition partners in the Knesset is over. Such a future government may include ultra-Orthodox parties if they are ready to sign on to a civil agenda.”

Rabbi Regev continued, "United Torah Judaism (UTJ) and Shas have brought upon themselves the ire of the general public through a long history of political bullying and strong-arming. They should now engage in serious self-introspection, and ask themselves how it is that so many people want a civil government, are expecting Lapid to insist on leaving them out of the government, and how such a large section of the public, including Likud voters, do not want a UTJ Knesset member as the next Chair of the Knesset Finance Committee."

The voting public wants a government that will lead a civil change and will promote religious freedom and equality in the national burden. This was the message that Lapid’s dramatic showing in the elections conveys.

Eighty percent of the Jewish public said that they were in favor of creating a government that would promote an agenda based on civil issues, specifically freedom of religion and equality in shouldering the civic burden. Amongst Likud Beiteinu voters, 87% support a civil government and only 13% are against it. Amongst Yesh Atid voters, 99% are in support; The Tzipi Livni Party, Meretz and Labor- 100%,, and among ‘Jewish Home’, 68%. Only 38% of Shas voters support the establishment of a civil government has 39%.

The survey further asked if the public thinks that Yair Lapid should insist on a government coalition without Shas and UTJ. A majority of 54% of the Jewish public believes that Lapid should indeed work to create a government without the two Ultra-Orthodox parties, while 46% are against it. Amongst secular voters, 70% support a government without the ultra-Orthodox parties while 93% of ultra-Orthodox voters are against it. 76% of Yesh Atid voters believe Lapid should work towards a government without Shas and UTJ. In the Likud, the numbers are more balanced: a slight majority of 51% supports such a government without the Ultra-Orthodox parties.

In most of the recent Knesset terms, the position of Chair of the Knesset's Finance Committee has been designated to a representative of the United Torah Judaism party. Two-thirds of the Jewish public (67%) including 88% of secular Jews are against the idea that this post should be again entrusted to an ultra-Orthodox MK. 93% of Yesh Atid voters are against a UTJ appointment to chair the Finance Committee. 73% of Likud Beiteinu voters, 89% of Labor voters and 68% of the Jewish Home voters are also against such an appointment.

The survey presents a strong trend that Hiddush has been following, beginning with past years’ Religion and State indices through the current election results, which show that the Israeli public desires a social and religious transformation in Israeli society. The public wants a civil government that will promote an agenda based on religious freedom and equality in sharing the national defense and economic burden.

*The survey was conducted among 500 participants on January 27-28th serving as a representative sample of the adult Israeli Jewish population.