Loneliness, rather than anxiety about jobs or housing, appears to be the chief source of unhappiness among recent immigrants from the former Soviet Union, according to a new survey conducted by the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Research.
That may be because more than half of the recent olim entering Israel’s work force have found jobs, according to the Absorption Ministry.
The survey, whose results were published Sunday in the daily Ma’ariv, found that 66 percent of the 150 immigrants surveyed listed lack of social ties and the emotional support of friends as the chief source of unhappiness.
Only 27 percent cited joblessness as their chief anxiety, and 6 percent cited housing.
When 150 absorption workers were asked what they thought to be the immigrants’ chief problems, their responses differed markedly, indicating a misperception on their part of the absorption difficulties olim face.
Only 18 percent of the absorption workers surveyed thought that lack of social support was the main cause of discontent. Thirty-four percent cited joblessness.
One-third of the olim said they were most annoyed by the rude and inefficient treatment they receive from the Israeli bureaucracy. That is also the main complaint of veteran Israelis.
Economic problems were cited by 29 percent of the immigrants as their chief concern; 18 percent complained of lack of culture, lack of civility and uncleanliness in public places.
Negative attitudes of Israelis toward immigrants was mentioned by 11 percent.
Asked if they were sorry they came to Israel, 80 percent replied no.
MAJORITY SATISFIED WITH ISRAEL
Likud Knesset member Ariel Weinstein said last week that 62.5 percent of the new olim are ” satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their life in Israel, according to another recent poll.
Nevertheless, the poll found that more than 35 percent of the immigrants would advise friends and relatives still in the former Soviet republics to stay put for the time being, compared to 21.7 percent who would tell them to come here now.
Immigration to a different country would be recommended by 15.6 percent.
Weinstein said the survey was taken among 820 immigrants from different parts of the former Soviet Union who arrived in Israel between September 1989 and September 1991.
Meanwhile, Absorption Minister Yitzhak Peretz told the Knesset last week that only 30,000 of the 135,000 immigrants who have sought jobs in the last three years are idle. The rest of those not working — more than half the unemployed — are enrolled in job-training or Hebrew-language courses.
The minister gave a breakdown of immigrant employment. Of the 65,000 olim who are working, 39,000 are in industry, 5,000 in construction, 2,500 in tourism and 1,200 in agriculture.
An additional 2,500 immigrants have established small businesses of their own, and 6,000 are employed in business services.
There are 9,500 working in the public sector as doctors, nurses, teachers, scientists and other occupations, Peretz reported.
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