Showing posts with label secular. Show all posts
Showing posts with label secular. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 25, 2018
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Faith in the Future
Yoad
Shahar
Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies
www.jiis.org
Jerusalem is considered one of Israel’s poorest cities. In 2011 the average gross monthly salary for employed individuals in Jerusalem was 8,014 NIS, compared with 10,409 NIS in Haifa, 11,445 NIS in Tel Aviv – Jaffa, and 9,461 NIS in Israel as a whole. Moreover, in the same year 44% of salaried employees in Jerusalem earned less than the minimum wage, compared with 38% of salaried employees in Haifa, 33% of salaried employees in Tel Aviv, and 38% in Israel.
In addition to these objective statistics, in the past summer the media published data from the annual social survey of the Central Bureau of Statistics. This survey provides another dimension that aids in understanding the standard of living and welfare in Israel – namely, the subjective dimension. The data painted a dismal picture of the manner in with Israel’s residents perceive their individual economic situation, and an even more dismal picture when respondents were asked about their expectations of the future in this regard.
A total of 19% of survey respondents said they expect their individual economic situation to deteriorate in the future, 38% believed it would not improve, and 43% believed that their individual economic situation would improve in the future. One might expect that because Jerusalem is a poorer city in terms of objective indices, its residents would expect a bleaker future, as there would be fewer possibilities for financial savings and future planning. However, only 17% of Jerusalem’s residents believed that their individual economic situation would deteriorate in the future and 34% believed it would not change, whereas 49% believed their situation would improve – higher than the figure for Israel and the other major cities. In Tel Aviv and in Haifa only 40% and 42%, respectively, believed their situation would improve.
One of the factors that might explain this optimistic view of the future is the power of faith. The social survey also questioned respondents about the degree of their religiosity (ultra-orthodox, religious, traditional-religious, traditional and not very religious, and secular / not religious). A breakdown by outlook on one’s economic situation (among Jews) reveals that a greater degree of religiosity corresponds with a higher degree of optimism regarding one’s future economic situation. (A comparable trend was observed among non-Jews as well.)
Even though the economic situation of the ultra-orthodox in Jerusalem ranks among the lowest in the city in terms of objective indices, 59% of the ultra-orthodox stated that they expect their economic situation to improve in the future, compared with 46% of religious respondent, 43% of secular respondents, 35% of traditional and not very religious respondents, and only 31% of traditional-religious respondents. The effect of subjective expectations on the objective situation has not yet been demonstrated. If such an effect does exist, then believers have a brighter economic future.
Data source: The social survey, by the Central Bureau of Statistics
Translation: Merav Datan
Monday, August 6, 2012
In Good Faith
Aviel Yelinek
Jerusalem’s population is diverse, comprising groups with varying characteristics, including groups that differ from one another in the extent of their religious observance.
The social survey that the Central Bureau of Statistics conducts within the population aged 20 and above reveals that during the years 2008-2010 (on average), 31% of the Jews in Jerusalem defined themselves as traditional, 29% as haredi (ultra-orthodox), 21% as religious, and 19% as secular. The percentage of Jews aged 20 and above in Jerusalem who defined themselves as haredi was the highest among the large cities of Israel and was significantly higher than the percentage of haredim in Israel (8%). In comparison, the percentage of haredim in Tel Aviv was 2%, in Haifa 3%, and in Rishon LeZion only 1%. The percentage of religious Jews in Jerusalem (21%) was also higher than the average for Israel (10%). The percentage of traditional Jews (traditional-religious and traditional-not-so-religious) in Jerusalem stood at 31%, lower than the average for Israel (39%) and the lowest of the major cities in Israel. And what about the secular? The percentage of secular Jews in Jerusalem (19%) was much lower than the average for Israel (42%) and was the lowest of the major cities in Israel. The percentage of secular Jews in Tel Aviv, for example, was the highest among the major cities, measuring 59%, compared to 58% for Haifa, 47% for Rishon LeZion, and 32% for Ashdod.
Within the non-Jewish sector as well, the extent of religious observance in Jerusalem was higher than the average for Israel and for its major cities. The data reveal that 14% of non-Jewish Jerusalemites defined themselves as very religious, compared to 60% who defined themselves as religious, 21% as not so religious, and only 5% as not religious. In comparison, only 7% of the non-Jews in Israel defined themselves as very religious (half of the figure for Jerusalem), 46% defined themselves as religious, 26% as not so religious, and 21% as not religious (four times the figure for Jerusalem). In Haifa and Tel Aviv the extent of religious observance of non-Jews was especially low. The percentage of very religious non-Jews in these cities measured 1%-2% and the percentage of religious non-Jews measured 23% and 22% respectively.
Jerusalem’s population is diverse, comprising groups with varying characteristics, including groups that differ from one another in the extent of their religious observance.
The social survey that the Central Bureau of Statistics conducts within the population aged 20 and above reveals that during the years 2008-2010 (on average), 31% of the Jews in Jerusalem defined themselves as traditional, 29% as haredi (ultra-orthodox), 21% as religious, and 19% as secular. The percentage of Jews aged 20 and above in Jerusalem who defined themselves as haredi was the highest among the large cities of Israel and was significantly higher than the percentage of haredim in Israel (8%). In comparison, the percentage of haredim in Tel Aviv was 2%, in Haifa 3%, and in Rishon LeZion only 1%. The percentage of religious Jews in Jerusalem (21%) was also higher than the average for Israel (10%). The percentage of traditional Jews (traditional-religious and traditional-not-so-religious) in Jerusalem stood at 31%, lower than the average for Israel (39%) and the lowest of the major cities in Israel. And what about the secular? The percentage of secular Jews in Jerusalem (19%) was much lower than the average for Israel (42%) and was the lowest of the major cities in Israel. The percentage of secular Jews in Tel Aviv, for example, was the highest among the major cities, measuring 59%, compared to 58% for Haifa, 47% for Rishon LeZion, and 32% for Ashdod.
Within the non-Jewish sector as well, the extent of religious observance in Jerusalem was higher than the average for Israel and for its major cities. The data reveal that 14% of non-Jewish Jerusalemites defined themselves as very religious, compared to 60% who defined themselves as religious, 21% as not so religious, and only 5% as not religious. In comparison, only 7% of the non-Jews in Israel defined themselves as very religious (half of the figure for Jerusalem), 46% defined themselves as religious, 26% as not so religious, and 21% as not religious (four times the figure for Jerusalem). In Haifa and Tel Aviv the extent of religious observance of non-Jews was especially low. The percentage of very religious non-Jews in these cities measured 1%-2% and the percentage of religious non-Jews measured 23% and 22% respectively.
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