AJC 2018 Survey of Israeli Jewish Opinion

AJC’s 2018 Survey of Israeli Jewish Opinion, conducted by Geocartography, is based on telephone interviews carried out in May with a national sample of 1,000 Jews over age 18. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.1%.

1.	How important is being Jewish in your life?

Most important	47%
Very important	34%
Somewhat important	9%
Not too important	4%
Not at all important	4%
No opinion	2%

 

2.	Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: “Living in Israel is a very important part of my being a Jew.”

Agree strongly	46%
Agree somewhat	36%
Disagree somewhat	10%
Disagree strongly	4%
No opinion	2%

 

3.	Do you consider being Jewish mostly a matter of religion, or more a matter of ethnicity and culture?

Mostly a matter of religion	19%
Mostly a matter of ethnicity or culture	40%
Both equally	37%
No opinion	4%

 

4.	Looking ahead five years, do you think that the ties between American and Israeli Jews will be...

Stronger than today	30%
Weaker than today	19%
About the same as today	40%
No opinion	11%

 

5.	Using the metaphor of a family, do you consider American Jews as your...

Siblings	28%
First Cousins	10%
Extended family	40%
Not part of my family	22%

 

6.	Do you approve or disapprove of the way President Trump is handling U.S.-Israel relations?

Approve strongly	37%
Approve somewhat	40%
Disapprove somewhat	5%
Disapprove strongly	5%
No opinion	13%

 

7.	Do you think it appropriate for American Jews to attempt to influence Israeli policy on such issues as national security and peace negotiations with the Palestinians?

Appropriate	25%
Not appropriate	68%
No opinion	7%

 

8.	In the current situation, do you favor or oppose a two-state solution through the establishment of a demilitarized Palestinian state on the West Bank?

Favor strongly	15%
Favor somewhat	29%
Oppose somewhat	15%
Oppose strongly	33%
No opinion	8%

 

9.	Looking ahead five years, do you think that the chances for peaceful coexistence between Israel and a Palestinian state will improve, decline, or stay the same?

Improve	13%
Decline	42%
Stay the same	37%
No opinion	7%

 

10.	As part of a peace agreement with the Palestinians, should Israel be willing to dismantle all, some, or none of the Jewish settlements in the West Bank?

Israel should be willing to dismantle all the settlements	4%
Israel should be willing to dismantle some of the settlements	35%
Israel should not be willing to dismantle any of the settlements	54%
No opinion	7%

 

11.	Israel today is both Jewish-religious and Democratic. In your opinion, should the current balance between Democratic and Jewish-religious elements be retained, or should one be strengthened at the expense of the other?

The current balance should be retained	36%
The democratic element should be strengthened	39%
The Jewish-religious element should be strengthened	19%
No opinion	5%

 

12.	Do you think the fact that Orthodox Judaism is the only denomination recognized by Israel as an official form of Judaism, and that Reform Judaism is not recognized:

Strengthens ties between Israeli and American Jews	14%
Weakens ties between Israeli and American Jews	40%
Has no effect on ties between Israeli and American Jews	29%
No opinion	16%

 

13.	Which of the following statements about non-Orthodox forms of Judaism, the Conservative and the Reform, is closest to your view?

Their simultaneous existence strengthens Jewish life in the Diaspora, but they are irrelevant to Israel	30%
Their parallel growth in Israel could improve the quality of Jewish life there	26%
Both forms of Judaism are destined to disappear	17%
None of the above	8%
No opinion	20%

 

14.	Currently, Jewish weddings, divorces, and conversions to Judaism in Israel are recognized only if Orthodox rabbis officiate. Should Conservative and Reform rabbis also be permitted to officiate?

Yes	49%
No	45%
No opinion	6%

 

15.	Currently, Israeli law does not allow for civil [secular] marriage and divorce. Should the law be changed, and civil marriage and divorce allowed?

Yes	55%
No	40%
No opinion	5%

 

16.

Currently, prayer services at the Western Wall in Jerusalem are conducted according to Orthodox tradition, with men and women being separated. Do you support or oppose the existence of a square adjacent to the Western Wall that would serve for mixed prayers, without separation between men and women?

Support	42%
Oppose	48%
No opinion	10%

 

17.	Do you support or oppose the recent U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and to relocate the U.S. embassy there?

Support	85%
Oppose	7%
No opinion	8%

 

18.	How do you define yourself religiously?

Haredi [Ultra-Orthodox]	10%
Modern Orthodox [Religious Zionist]	11%
Conservative [Masorti]	0% [less than 1%]
Religious-traditional	17%
Not that religious-traditional	21%
Reform	1%
Reconstructionist	0% [less than 1%]
Secular	37%
Other	2%

 

19.	Do you have family in the United States to whom you feel close?

Yes	46%
No	54%

 

20.	Do you think that a thriving Diaspora is or isn’t vital for the long-term future of the Jewish people?

Vital	78%
Not vital	15%
No opinion	7%

 

21.	Do you think that a thriving State of Israel is or isn’t vital for the long-term future of the Jewish people?

Vital	87%
Not vital	6%
No opinion	7%