JPPI Poll: Israelis See Internal Polarization as the Biggest Threat

A new annual report from the Jewish People Policy Institute says Israelis view domestic division as a greater danger than Iran or the Palestinian conflict. In the survey, 55% named internal polarization as the country’s main threat, compared with 23% who chose Iran’s nuclear program and 18% who chose the conflict with the Palestinians.

The report says 60% of Israelis believe there is a real risk of bloodshed inside the country, underscoring widespread anxiety. It also highlights deep social distance between groups: the ultra-Orthodox community received the lowest closeness score, 3.79, while secular Israelis rated their closeness to ultra-Orthodox Jews at just 1.81 out of 10.

Politically, the report found that support for the far right rose from 11% before the war to 19%. It also says younger respondents who identified as “left close to the center” reported shifting rightward because of the war. On democracy, 59% agreed it should combine majority rule with protection of human rights, but among Jews support for that broader definition has fallen compared with three years ago.

Only 31% agreed on issues tied to Israel’s identity and the Palestinian conflict. Among Jews, 36% said Israel is “not Jewish enough,” while 42% of secular respondents said it is “too Jewish.” JPPI President Prof. Yedidya Stern said the society shows “resilience and optimism, but also fragmentation and polarization,” and called for a long-term plan to build trust, with public leaders prioritizing cohesion and creating a “thin constitution” to manage disputes fairly and efficiently.