The rift in the fabric of Israeli society is growing, the Israeli Democracy Index, shows. The 2020 index, a public opinion poll project by the Israel Democracy Institute.
Now in its 18th year, the poll, originally taken in June, was held again in October to account for what the IDI called the far-reaching effects of the coronavirus crisis on Israeli society.
The index, the summary of which was presented to President Reuven Rivlin on Monday, gauged the relationship between ultra-Orthodox and secular sectors, between Jews and Arabs, between the public and the government, and between the public and the police in the context of the global crisis.
The troubling finds show a decline in each of these parameters since the original poll was held six months ago.
The data found that only 17% of the public believe social solidarity still exists in Israel – a significant decrease from June, when the figure stood at an already worrisome 33%.
October’s data is the lowest for this criterion in a decade.
Only 32% of Israelis currently think the economy is doing well, compared to 37% in June and 50% in 2019. Some 64% think Israel is a good place to live in – a drop from 76% who said as much in June.
Some 61% said their current situation was “good” compared to 80% in June.
Over half of the public – 57% – worry that Israeli democracy faces a significant threat, compared to 53% who were concerned in June.
Sixty percent of Jewish respondents said the government showed democratic practices vis-à-vis the Arab sector, while 58% of Arab respondents disagreed with that claim. Continue Reading….