\r\n\tMany Israelis are fantasizing about living elsewhere mostly for financial reasons, Israel Today quoted a new survey as revealing on Sunday.<\/p>\r\n
\r\n\tThe annual Social Strength Index, which examines the passing year in comparison to the last decade, shows that 59 per cent of Israelis say they would never leave Israel to live elsewhere, the daily said<\/p>\r\n
\r\n\tThe survey was unveiled at the Sderot Conference for Society on Sunday. The index demonstrates that socially, Israel is currently at its lowest point in the last decade.<\/p>\r\n
\r\n\tThe annual Social Strength Index, now in its tenth year, indicates a general deterioration in Israel's social cohesion. This deterioration is reflected in prominent negative trends among the various aspects of Israel's social strength, including the sense of solidarity and belonging, personal economic strength, access to social rights, faith in the public institutions, job security and corruption. In some of those areas, the index found the lowest values of the last decade.<\/p>\r\n
\r\n\tThere are a number of varied explanations for this, including for example the public dismay over the government's handling of last summer's social protest movement (a wave of protests that swept the nation seeking economic security for the middle class, among other things), or perhaps the government's economic policies, or the global economic crisis, or even the emergence of several corruption scandals among the top ruling echelon.<\/p>\r\n
\r\n\tThe survey results were lower than the same survey conducted in 2011 on every question. Many of the questions reverted back to the same level they were in 2008, with the noteworthy exception of the "state that promises a better future to your children" question, which reverted to the even lower values of 2006-2007.<\/p>\r\n
\r\n\tOnly a quarter (26%) of respondents strongly felt that the statement "Israel promises a better future for your children" is accurate.<\/p>\r\n
\r\n\t54% of the respondents said that there is low to very low probability that they would leave Israel with their families and relocate to outside Israel. This percentage is lower than the percentage of responders who said the same in previous surveys. In 2011 it was 69%, in 2010 it was 75%, and in 2008 it was 73%. In fact, this year's survey had the lowest result on this question since 2006.<\/p>\r\n
\r\n\tThe issues respondents listed as most disturbing, diminishing their pride in Israel were corruption among the highest government echelons, violence in Israeli society, poverty and the social gap between the richest and poorest. These factors also scored high in previous surveys as factors that diminish pride, in various orders.<\/p>\r\n
\r\n\tWith a 10% increase from last year, 82% of respondents view government corruption as an issue that greatly diminishes their pride in Israel. This issue retained its highest ranking as the thing that most prevents Israelis from feeling proud of Israel.<\/p>\r\n
\r\n\tThe issue of poverty and social gaps occupied the third spot among the factors that most disturb Israelis and prevent them from feeling pride in Israel. With a 6% increase from last year's survey, 77% of responders view poverty as a dominant factor. Another 76% of responders (a sharp 22% increase from last year's results) view the loss of job security as a factor that prevents them from feeling pride in Israel.<\/p>\r\n
\r\n\tIf taken together with the 2011 results, this year's survey indicates deterioration in the public's view of the family financial status. A clear drop can be seen in the number of respondents who believe that their family's income enables them to live in an acceptable, or alternately in a good manner. The survey showed a correlating increase in the number of respondents who feel that their family's income enables them to "barely survive."<\/p>\r\n
\r\n\tIn comparison with last year's survey, there has been an increase in the number of respondents who are worried by every one of the five factors having to do with the family financial status — being able to financially support children in the future; ability to save money; financial dependence on others; family income; growing old with dignity. The scores each factor received as relating to the extent of its impact on the family's financial concerns also went up since last year. These findings indicate that today the public feels a higher level of financial instability than last year.<\/p>\r\n
\r\n\tAccording to the survey, financial concerns have the most impact on life in Israel, with 56% of respondents naming financial concerns as an influential factor in their lives. For the sake of comparison, only 16% of responders named Israel's security as an influential factor.<\/p>\r\n
\r\n\tThe ranking of the most influential factors that impact Israeli life has not changed since 2011, with the financial issue ranking highest, followed by security concerns. But the percentage of the responders who named financial concerns as having the most impact increased dramatically from 2011 — a 17% increase from 39% in 2011 to 56% in 2012.<\/p>\r\n
\r\n\tMeanwhile, a similarly dramatic drop could be seen in the percentage of respondents who named security concerns as an influential factor — a 12% drop from 28% in 2011 to 16% in 2012. The gap between those who named financial concerns and those who named security concerns also grew dramatically, more than three-fold.<\/p>","content_source":null,"content_url":null,"content_columns":"0","content_date_start":"2013-06-26 21:33:29","content_date_finish":"2013-06-26 21:33:29","content_date_register":"2013-06-26 21:33:29","content_date_last_edit":"0000-00-00 00:00:00","content_show_img":"1","content_show_details":"1","content_show_related_img":"1","content_show_slider":"1","content_show_title_slider":"1","content_comment":"0","content_score":"0","content_recorded":"0","content_confirmed":"1","content_status":"1","content_kind":"0","old_id":"120191","tag_id":null,"tag_word":null,"tag_service":null,"tag_total":null,"tag_soundex":null,"attach_token":"2366146622","attach_date_register":"2013-06-26 21:33:42","attach_id":"111981","attach_file_ext":"jpg","attach_file_header":"image\/jpeg","attach_img_type":"2","attach_img_width":"320","attach_img_height":"120","attach_file_media":"1","attach_show_watermark":"0","score_average":null,"score_count":null,"score_date_last":null,"visit_count":"131","visit_date_last":"2025-05-10 14:58:51","attach_title":"Israel plunged in corruption","node_title":"Commentaries","ot_node_left_right":"[{\"node_id\":134, \"left\":25, \"right\":26}]"}]]