Poll: Young Israelis moving much farther to the right politically

HAARETZ

Young Israelis are moving much further to the right politically, according to a survey to be released Thursday.

The study found that 60 percent of Jewish teenagers in Israel, between 15 and 18 years old, prefer “strong” leaders to the rule of law, while 70 percent say that in cases where state security and democratic values conflict, security should come first. A similar picture emerges in the 21 to 24 age group.

According to the authors, the report shows a strengthening of Jewish-nationalist beliefs among Jewish youths, and a clear weakening of the importance given to the state’s liberal-democratic base.

The comprehensive survey was conducted on behalf of Germany’s Friedrich Ebert Foundation, in cooperation with the Macro Center for Political Economics, by the Dahaf Institute.

Among Jewish youths, support for the definition of Israel as a Jewish state as the most important goal for the country grew from 18.1 percent in 1998 to 33.2 percent last year, the survey reports. At the same time, there has been a consistent drop in those who back the importance of Israel’s identity as a democratic country – from 26.1 percent in 1998 to 14.3 percent in 2010.

Support for Israel to eventually live in peace with its neighboring countries also fell significantly, from 28.4 percent 12 years ago to 18.2 percent last year. This is the third such survey of young people conducted by the two organizations in the past 12 years.

The study was carried out in July 2010, among a representative sample of Jewish and Arab youth. It included 1,600 participants, 800 aged 15-18 and 800 21-24, which is considered a relatively large group.

The right wing enjoyed a clear majority of support among the young people surveyed. Among Jews, the numbers stood at 57 percent and 66 percent for the two age groups respectively, while those who said they considered themselves to be left wing made up only 13 percent and 10 percent of those respondents.

The support for the right rose overall from 48 percent to 62 percent during the study’s 12-year period, while support for the left fell from 32 percent to 12 percent.

As to the possibility of peace with the Palestinians, 755 of the Jewish respondents said they do not believe negotiations will lead to peace, and most prefer that the present situation continue.

Israel must significantly increase the amount of money it spends on educating its young people about democracy, said Dr. Roby Nathanson, the director general of the Macro Center.

“There is not enough awareness about democratic values among youths,” he said. “Democracy is not just voting once every four years. It also includes values such as tolerance and consideration for minority groups, the weaker populations and those who are different [from the mainstream].”

March 31, 2011 | 10 Comments »

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  1. The far larger percentage of Israelis , not just the young, tend to agree with any side that promises greater security, even at the expense of it’s “democracy” — that measures how critical is the concern for security. For the Israelis it is pragmatism –concern for security will continue to trump ideology.

  2. ” Laura says:
    March 31, 2011 at 9:36 pm

    To the contrary, Israeli youth are very well aware what tolerance and consideration for minority groups have gotten them. That is precisely why they are moving further to the right.”

    Thanks Laura for this quick,concise and accurate summary !
    Young Israelis are waking up, Baruh H.Shem !
    Shabat Shalom to all !

  3. It figures that the comprehensive survey was conducted on behalf of Germany’s Friedrich Ebert Foundation, in cooperation with the Macro Center for Political Economics, by the Dahaf Institute. No good can come from Europe, especially Germany. From the Nazis, the Holocaust, Germany’s Prime Minister Merkel to the German Jewish intellectuals who brought Post-Zionism, bi-nationalism to Hebrew University and the rest of Israel’s academia, the courts, media, and popular culture, nothing but evil has come from there. Also, don’t forget where the Mufti Haj Amin al-Husseini found asylum to foment his part in the genocide.

  4. Laura says:
    March 31, 2011 at 9:36 pm

    To the contrary, Israeli youth are very well aware what tolerance and consideration for minority groups have gotten them. That is precisely why they are moving further to the right.


    Thank G-d.

  5. “There is not enough awareness about democratic values among youths,” he said. “Democracy is not just voting once every four years. It also includes values such as tolerance and consideration for minority groups, the weaker populations and those who are different [from the mainstream].”

    To the contrary, Israeli youth are very well aware what tolerance and consideration for minority groups have gotten them. That is precisely why they are moving further to the right.

  7. jrob says:
    March 31, 2011 at 3:10 pm

    do we really need to constantly dignify the big-lie ‘left/right’ scale of Western media? The kids are moving more ‘anti-nazi’, or ‘anti-fascism’, as they should.

    Not really:

    The study found that 60 percent of Jewish teenagers in Israel, between 15 and 18 years old, prefer “strong” leaders to the rule of law, while 70 percent say that in cases where state security and democratic values conflict, security should come first.

    Wanting strong leaders, and a willingness to sacrifice freedom in return for security, are not ANTI-Fascist sentiments; they are Fascist.

  8. do we really need to constantly dignify the big-lie ‘left/right’ scale of Western media? The kids are moving more ‘anti-nazi’, or ‘anti-fascism’, as they should.

  10. It’s about time the Israelis got a little self-respect. The fact that young Israelis are moving much farther to the right is a natural reaction to the leftists and liberals who have brought our country down to its knees, grovelling to the palestinians, to the Americans, and to the Europeans. Young Israelis are telling Ehud Barak, Shimon Peres, Foad Ben-Eliezer, Yael Dayan, Yossi Sarid, and Shlomit Aloni that they are not willing to swallow their gargage anymore like previous generations have. Young Israelis are going to completely reshape the political landscape for the better.