Jewish identity takes precedence over national identity for most Israelis, a poll found.
According to the survey in Tuesday’s Israel Hayom newspaper, 65 percent of Israeli Jews identified primarily as Jews and only then as Israelis, whereas 14 percent said the reverse. Nine percent said they don’t know in which order they identify.
Asked whether they want Israel to be more Jewish or more democratic, 47 percent said the former and 43 percent the latter, with the rest undecided.
The poll reflected mixed feelings among Israeli Jews about their country’s future as it celebrates its 60th Independence Day, though most made clear they would not want to live elsewhere.
Asked to rate their “personal mood” on an ascending scale of 1 to 10, the average number given was 7, but the “national mood” was a more gloomy 5.8.
Fifty percent of respondents said they feel Israel is moving in the “wrong direction” and 36 percent said the country is moving in the “right direction.”
But 87 percent said they would want their children to grow up in Israel, and 70 percent said they have no foreign passport and no plan to apply for one.
The survey had 561 respondents and a 4.1 percent margin of error.
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