Poll Finds Majority of Israelis Proud to Live in Country
A new poll conducted by Ma'ariv newspaper ahead of the Rosh Hashanah holiday reveals that a significant majority of Israelis express pride in their nationality and believe Israel is a good place to live. The survey, conducted by Lazar Research in collaboration with Panel4ALL, found that 79% of Israelis are proud to be Israeli, while 17% are not, and 4% declined to answer.
Regarding the quality of life, 62% of respondents believe Israel is a good place to live, compared to 35% who disagree and 3% who were undecided. However, the survey highlighted a notable difference between Jewish and Arab respondents. While 66% of Jewish Israelis feel it is good to live in Israel, only 33% of Arab Israelis share this sentiment. Conversely, 54% of Arab respondents stated that Israel is not a good place to live, versus 32% of Jewish respondents.
Compared to previous years, there has been a slight decrease in the overall percentage of Israelis who believe the country is a good place to live, dropping from an average of 66% in the past three years to 62% in the current poll. For Jewish respondents, this represents a modest decline from 71% last year to 66% this year. Arab respondents, however, showed a sharper decrease, falling from 46% last year to 33% this year.
Furthermore, 62% of Israelis believe the existence of the state is a given fact. However, 27% fear the state's existence is in real danger, and an additional 11% are unsure. This uncertainty about the state's existence was particularly pronounced among Arab respondents, with 30% expressing doubt.
Dr. Menachem Lazar, head of Lazar Research, noted that the significant drops in pride and positive sentiment among Arab respondents, along with the high percentage unsure about Israel's existence, indicate concerning feelings within this demographic, which constitutes about 22% of Israel's citizens. The survey involved 4,329 individuals, with 601 respondents (14%) completing the survey, representing a margin of error of 4%.
