Hiddush Public Opinion Survey for Israel's 69th Independence Day:
79% - Promise of freedom of religion has not fully realized in Israel
79% of the Israeli Jewish public maintains that Declaration of Independence's promise of freedom of religion and conscience has not yet been fully realized in Israel. 76% support the full realization of this promise.
30/04/2017 16:10
Tags: Hiddush polls · religious freedom · Independence Day
Israel's Declaration of Independence
79% of the Israeli Jewish public maintains that Declaration of Independence's promise of freedom of religion and conscience has not yet been fully realized in Israel. 76% support the full realization of this promise. These are the key findings of a public opinion survey conducted for Hiddush – Freedom of Religion for Israel by the Smith Polling Institute in advance of Israel's 69th Independence Day, celebrated this week, among a representative sample of Israel's adult Jewish population.
We can no longer accept the grave reality of the continued denial by the Jewish State of religious freedom for Jews.
According to the survey, only 17% of the Jewish public believes that the Declaration of Independence's promise of freedom of religion has been fully realized in Israel. Among those who think that it has not been fully realized, 92% would like it be, including most of the voters for the Government Coalition parties: The Likud, Kulanu, Yisrael Beiteinu, and even the Jewish Home!
We all celebrate Israel's Independence and the State's many achievements, but the work has not yet been completed. This survey has patently demonstrated the majority of the public, including most of the voters for the Government Coalition parties, wants to realize Israel's promise of freedom of religion and equality. We can no longer accept the grave reality of the continued denial by the Jewish State of religious freedom for Jews, thus harming not only civil rights and human dignity, but also undermining the strategic partnership between the State of Israel and world Jewry.
Survey Highlights:
The first survey question was: "Israel's Declaration of Independence promises freedom of religion and conscience, and equality to all regardless of religion. In your opinion, do you think this promise of the Declaration of Independence has been realized or not realized, as of today?" Only 17% of respondents believe that the Declaration of Independence's promise of freedom of religion has been fully realized in Israel. 53% believe it has been partially realized, and 26% believe it has not been realized at all. 4% of respondents had no opinion on the matter. Among ultra-Orthodox Jewish Israelis, 67% believe that the Declaration of Independence's promise has not been realized or only partially realized, as well as 66% of Zionist Orthodox Israelis, 78% of traditional Israeli Jews, and 83% of secular Jewish Israelis.
Among voters for the Government Coalition parties: 69% of Likud voters believe that the Declaration of Independence's promise of freedom of religion has not been realized or only partially realized, as well as 71% of Kulanu voters, 69% of Yisrael Beiteinu voters, 62% of Jewish Home voters, and 67% of voters for the two ultra-Orthodox political parties. Among voters for the Opposition parties: 96% of voters for the Zionist Union, 93% of Yesh Atid voters, and 100% of Meretz voters also believe that the Declaration of Independence's promise of religious freedom has not been realized or only partially realized in Israel.
The second survey question was: "Do you support or oppose the full realization of the Declaration of Independence's promise of freedom of religion and equality?" 76% support the full realization of this promise, of which 34% strongly support it and 42% somewhat support its realization. Only 17% claim that this promise of the Declaration of Independence has been fully realized, and an additional 6% oppose the full realization of this promise of religious freedom.
As expected, 88% of the secular Jewish Israeli public supports the full realization of the Declaration of Independence's promise of freedom of religion and equality, as do 84% of those who identify as 'traditional, not so close to religion' and 67% of those who identify as 'traditional, close to religion'. 54% of the Zionist Orthodox Israeli public and 48% of the ultra-Orthodox Israeli public also support this promise. This may be understood by the fact that both ends of the spectrum feel that their religious rights are not sufficiently respected in Israel, and, so, even among the Zionist Orthodox public a significant percentage wants greater freedom of religion and equality.
Among voters for the Government Coalition parties: 65% of Likud voters support the full realization of the Declaration of Independence's promise of freedom of religion in Israel, as do 79% of Kulanu voters, 74% of Yisrael Beiteinu voters; and so do 54% of Jewish Home voters and 47% of voters for the two ultra-Orthodox political parties. Among the Opposition parties, 95% of voters for the Zionist Union, 92% of Yesh Atid voters, and 100% of Meretz voters support the full realization of the Declaration of Independence's promise of freedom of religion in Israel.
Of the 17% who believe that the Declaration of Independence's promise has been fully realized, 21% are ultra-Orthodox, 30% are Zionist Orthodox, 28% are traditional (close to religion), 13% are traditional (not so close to religion) and 11% are secular.
On the other hand, 53% believe this promise has been partially realized, and 26% believe it has not been realized at all. 4% of respondents had no opinion on this matter.