The Israeli Democracy Index 2012 Tamar Hermann Nir Atmor, Ella Heller, Yuval Lebel The Israeli Democracy Index 2012 Tamar Hermann Nir Atmor, Ella Heller, Yuval Lebel Translator: Karen Gold Editor: Sharon Assaf Field work: B.I. and Lucille Cohen Institute for Public Opinion Research, Tel Aviv University Statistical analysis: Dror Walter, Ashira Menashe Design: Stephanie and Ruti Design Cover design: Tartakover Design, Tal Harda Cover: Yossi Arza Typesetting: Irit Nachum ISBN 978-965-519-113-4 No portion of this book may be reproduced, copied, photographed, recorded, translated, stored in a database, broadcasted, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, optic, mechanical, or otherwise. Commercial use in any form of the material contained in this book without the express written permission of the publisher is strictly forbidden. Copyright © 2012 by The Israel Democracy Institute (R.A.) Printed in Israel To order books and policy papers published by the Israel Democracy Institute, please contact the IDI Press at: Tel.: 1-800-20-2222, (972)-2-530-0800; Fax: (972)-2-530-0867 email: [email protected] Website: www.idi.org.il The Israel Democracy Institute Press, P.O.B. 4482, Jerusalem 91044 All issues of the Israeli Democracy Index, policy papers, and a pre-selected chapter from all books published by the IDI can be downloaded free of charge from our website: www.idi.org.il The Israel Democracy Institute is an independent, non- partisan body on the seam of academia and politics. The Institute plans policy and devises reforms for government and public administration agencies, and for the institutions of democracy. In its plans and endeavors, the Institute strives to support the institutions of Israel’s developing democracy and consolidate its values. The Institute’s serious research work is followed up by practical recommendations, seeking to improve governance in Israel and foster a long-term vision for a stable democratic regime adapted to the structure, values, and norms of Israeli society. The Institute aspires to further public discourse in Israel on issues on the national agenda, to promote structural, political, and economic reforms, to serve as a consulting body to decision- makers and the broad public, and to provide information and present comparative research. The Guttman Center for Surveys was established in its present form in 1998, when the Guttman Institute for Applied Social Research became part of the Israel Democracy Institute. Professor Louis Guttman founded the original Institute in 1949 as a pioneering center for the study of public opinion and the advancement of social science methodology. The goal of the Guttman Center for Surveys is to enrich public discourse on issues of public policy through the information retrieved from the Center’s databases and through public opinion surveys conducted by the Center. The Israeli Democracy Index is a public opinion poll project conducted by the Guttman Center for Surveys. Since 2003, an extensive survey has been conducted annually on a representative sample of Israel’s adult population (1,025 participants). Each survey presents an estimate of the quality of Israeli democracy for that year. On the whole, the project aims at assessing trends in Israeli public opinion regarding realization of democratic values and the performance of government systems and elected officials. Analysis of its results may contribute to public discussion of the status of democracy in Israel and create a cumulative empirical database to intensify discourse concerning such issues. Table of Contents Acknowledgments 9 Insights and Main Findings 10 Introduction 18 Part One Chapter 1 Israel’s Political System and Government Performance 25 Chapter 2 Citizens, the State, Politics, and Israeli Society 46 Chapter 3 The Protests of the Summer of 2011: One Year Later 67 Chapter 4 The Upcoming Elections 74 Chapter 5 Israel: The Future 84 Part Two Chapter 1 Democracy Indicators 97 Chapter 2 Detailed Findings 103 Appendices Appendix 1 Israeli Democracy Survey 2012: Distribution of Responses 129 Appendix 2 Distribution of 2012 Survey Results Compared with Previous Years 159 Appendix 3 Sociodemographic Characteristics of (Total) Sample 174 Appendix 4 Distribution of Variables (Self-Defined) 177 Research Team 184 Figures Part One 1.1 Israel’s overall situation today (total sample) 25 1.2 Assessment of Israel’s situation: A historical comparison (total sample) 27 1.3 Is Israel a Zionist state? (by nationality) 28 1.4 A Jewish or a democratic state? (Jewish sample) 30 1.5 A Jewish or a democratic state? (Jewish sample; by religiosity) 32 1.6 A Jewish or a democratic state? A historical comparison (Jewish sample) 33 1.7 How democratic is Israel? (Jewish sample; by political camp) 35 1.8 Is the State of Israel today democratic enough, too democratic, or not democratic enough? A historical comparison (total sample) 36 1.9 Government handling of state’s problems (total sample) 37 1.10 Government handling of state’s problems (Jewish sample; by political camp) 39 1.11 Government handling of state’s problems: A historical comparison (total sample) 39 1.12 What Israel needs today is a strong leader (Jewish sample; by length of residence in Israel) 41 1.13 Trust in institutions (Jewish sample) 42 1.14 Trust in institutions (Arab sample) 43 1.15 Feeling part of the State of Israel and its problems: A historical comparison (total sample) 46 1.16 Feeling part of the State of Israel and its problems (total sample; by nationality) 48 1.17 Pride in being Israeli (by nationality) 50 1.18 Pride in being Israeli (Jewish sample; by political camp) 51 1.19 Zionist or not? (Jewish sample) 52 1.20 Interest in politics: A historical comparison (total sample) 53 1.21 Interest in politics (total sample; by age) 54 1.22 Ability to influence government policy (total sample) 55 1.23 Ability to influence government policy: A historical comparison (total sample) 56 1.24 Ability to influence government policy, via the following avenues (total sample) 57 1.25 Should speakers be prohibited from publicly voicing harsh criticism of the state? (by nationality) 58 1.26 Level of tension between groups (total sample) 60 1.27 Most glaring area of tension in Israeli society (total sample) 61 1.28 Are Arab citizens of Israel discriminated against? (by nationality) 63 1.29 Are Arab citizens of Israel discriminated against? A historical comparison (total sample) 64 1.30 Is the Arab political leadership more moderate/more extreme than the Arab public? (by nationality) 66 1.31 Participation in summer of 2011 protests (by nationality) 69 1.32 Participation in summer of 2011 protests (Jewish sample; by political camp) 71 1.33 Summer 2011: A protest of the majority or a minority? (total sample) 72 1.34 Representativeness of Israel’s political parties (total sample) 75 1.35 Representativeness of Israel’s political parties (Jewish sample; by political camp) 77 1.36 Differences between the parties in their ability to handle the country’s problems (total sample) 78 1.37 Differences between the parties in their ability to handle the country’s problems: A historical comparison (total sample) 79 1.38 Primary factor affecting decision to vote for a particular party in Knesset elections (total sample) 81 1.39 Forecasts for the near future (by nationality) 85 1.40 Items most deserving of increase in state budgeting (Jewish sample) 88 1.41 Items most deserving of increase in state budgeting (Arab sample) 89 1.42 Optimistic or pessimistic about Israel’s future? (by nationality) 91 1.43 Desire to live in Israel (by nationality) 93 1.44 Desire to live in Israel: A historical comparison (total sample) 94 Part Two 2.1 Democracy indicators 100 2.2 Political corruption 105 2.3 Functioning of government 106 2.4 Electoral process and pluralism 107 2.5 Political participation 109 2.6 Civic engagement 110 2.7 Social network 115 2.8 Democratic political culture 116 2.9 Gender equality 117 2.10 Economic freedom 118 2.11 Freedom of the press 119 2.12 Civil liberties 120 2.13 Freedom of religion 121 2.14 Religious tensions 124 2.15 Nationality/language tensions 125 9 Acknowledgments We owe a debt of gratitude to the many individuals who assisted us in producing the Israeli Democracy Index 2012. Accordingly, our deepest thanks go to the staff of the IDI Press; the B. I. and Lucille Cohen Institute for Public Opinion Research; Dr. Rafi Ventura and Prof. Orit Kedar, who aided in the preliminary framing of the topics for the Democracy Survey; and of course the 1,025 unnamed respondents, from all levels and sectors of Israeli society, who devoted their valuable time— without remuneration—to answering the survey questionnaire. Without them, this undertaking could not have succeeded. This year as well, the Index is dedicated to the memory of Prof. Asher Arian, founder and creator of this project. Prof. Tamar Hermann September 2012 10 Insights and Main Findings The 2012 survey, like many of the Israeli Democracy Index polls in previous years, was strongly affected by “background noise.” It was conducted in the shadow of a global financial crisis that threatens to shake up Israel’s economy, and amid a painful process of national soul-searching regarding the nature and results of the social/economic protests of the previous summer, along with uncertainty as to whether they will be revived in the summer of 2012. Likewise, the survey follows on the heels of a wave of attempts to enact non-democratic legislation as well as statements by political office holders that are extremely problematic in terms of democracy—all against the backdrop of impending Knesset elections. And this, without even considering the looming Iranian threat and the discourse about Israel’s future sparked by a combination of the above.