Only 28% prefer preserving the status quo on religious issues

63% want a civil Coalition without Haredi parties

After the drama and the clarification of the political map, the public expects to hear more than rhetoric from the right and the left. The Jewish public wants the parties to promote freedom of religion and equality of the burden - not just crumbs such as providing public transportation on the Sabbath.

21/02/2019 15:49

Tags: Yair Lapid ·  Benny Gantz ·  Yesh Atid ·  Israel Resilience

Benny Gantz (l) and Yair Lapid (r), source: Wikipedia

The political explosion of the past 24 hours changes the political map of the parties that now await the voters’ decision. With the merger of the Israel Resilience party and Yesh Atid party, Prime Minister Netanyahu has an electoral fight on his hands for the first time in years.

The primary political actors opted mostly for rhetoric and mutual accusations, regarding the left-right political scale. However, the public is interested in other matters as well. Hiddush commissioned a survey, conducted this week by the Smith Institute, which clearly underscores the degree to which Israel’s adult Jewish population attributes weight to the parties’ positions on issues of religion and state in deciding whom to vote for.

The survey measured the relative importance attributed by voters to the parties’ positions on religion and state issues. The question was: "Which issue in the field of religion and state relations would you most want the party that you are considering to vote for to advance?" [And what is the second most important issue]. The survey data indicate that, among the current issues that were presented to the sample, the largest group of respondents noted that it was most important for them [or second-most important] that a party promote religious freedom and equality [33%]. In addition, 23% expressed their preference for advancing a cut in the government budget for yeshivas and religious institutions as the most important [or second-most]. 19% - prohibiting the exclusion of women in the public sphere and providing public transportation on the Sabbath [But only 10% - limited opening of convenience stores and businesses on the Sabbath]. 17% - recruitment of yeshiva students to the army or civilian service; 16% - civil marriage and divorce. Only 28% said that the most important [or second-most] issue in their eyes is maintaining the status quo on religious issues.

With an eye to the day after the elections, a question was asked about the desired make-up of the future Government Coalition. In response to the question "What would you like to have in forming the Government after the elections: A) A unity government including the ultra-Orthodox parties, based on maintaining the status quo on matters of religion and state, or B) A civil government, without the ultra-Orthodox parties, which will promote religious freedom and equality of burden?" 63% of the respondents representing Israel’s adult Jewish public responded that they would prefer a civil government that will advance freedom of religion and equality in the burden! Only 37% expressed a preference for a unity government that would maintain the status quo.

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 The polls consistently show the importance of religion and state issues for voters, and for many voters these issues have a significant bearing upon their decision. After the drama and the clarification of the political map, the public expects to hear more than rhetoric from the right and the left. The Jewish public wants the parties to promote freedom of religion and equality of the burden - not just crumbs such as providing public transportation on the Sabbath. Hiddush will send the full political analysis of the findings to the heads of the parties, with the hope and expectation that they will be attentive to their voters.

A survey commissioned by Hiddush last month, which included other questions related to the elections, showed that the commitment of a party to promote religious freedom and equality of civic burden is linked to its prospects in the elections. 64% of the undecided voters said that they would be more likely to vote for a party that commits itself to promoting freedom of religion and equality of the civic burden in Israel [52% of the total representative sample of the adult Jewish public responded likewise].

In light of the unification between the Israel Resilience party and the Yesh Atid party for the upcoming elections, it is particularly interesting to see how similar the voters for these two parties are on issues of religion and state, and to monitor to what extent their joint list will emphasize these issues and clarify its stances beyond the vague statements that have been made until now.

It turns out that among those intending to vote for the Israel Resilience party, 97% want a civil government that will advance religious freedom and equality; only 3% support a unity government that will maintain the status quo on religious issues. In examining the distribution of the party’s voters in response to a question regarding the issues on the religious and state agenda, it turns out that the issue that bears the highest importance is the general principle of freedom of religion and equality of civic burden, which party leader Benny Gantz has not yet expressed support for. The concrete issue that seems particularly important to the voters for the Israel Resilience party, which we have not yet heard about from Gantz, is a cut to the budgets for yeshivas and the religious establishment. Public transportation on Shabbat and civil marriage rank next, at a level of importance similar to that of enlisting yeshiva students for military or civilian service, none of which Gantz has taken a stance on.

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Similarly, 96% of those who indicated that they would vote for the Yesh Atid party headed by Yair Lapid want a civil government; only 4% support a unity government that will perpetuate the status quo. Yesh Atid voters see the most important issue as a comprehensive and principled promotion of freedom of religion and equality of civic burden [48%]. In addition, the concrete issues that seem to them to be most important [or second-most] are cuts in yeshiva budgets and the religious establishment, availability of public transportation on Shabbat, civil marriage and divorce, and conscription of yeshiva students.

As for Likud voters, 52% prefer a unity government with the ultra-Orthodox parties. The main issues that they consider important in the field of religion and state and would like to see policy changes on are the conscription of yeshiva students, prohibition of the exclusion of women from the public sphere, and the promotion of freedom of religion and equality of the burden in a comprehensive manner.

Not surprisingly, public transportation on the Sabbath is perceived by the adult Jewish public as a more important issue than the opening of businesses and convenience stores on the Sabbath. For example, while 41% of Labor party voters highlighted public transportation on Shabbat, only 5% mentioned opening businesses. It seems that similar findings were also discovered by Avi Gabbay (Head of the Labor party) in internal surveys, although it should be emphasized that 56% [!] of Labor voters noted the importance they attach to the party's promotion of freedom of religion and equality of burden in general. Also, 46% of its voters consider civil marriage and divorce the most important [or second-most] issue in the field of religion and state.

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 Issues that voters want the parties that they supports to advance, according to background variables (Read the table across by row. Row totals come to more than 100% because they include the most important and second-most important issues.)

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 The surey was conducted by the Smith Institute on February 17-18, 2019 among 500 people, a representative sample of Israel's adult Jewish population (ages 18 and over). Sampling error ± 4.5%.