Around three out of every five Israeli adults is
happy with their financial situation, but more than one-third of the population
is not able to cover all monthly household expenses, according to the Central
Bureau of Statistics.
Despite last year’s protests over the cost of
living and other recent signs of rising public dissatisfaction, the CBS found
that 61 percent of Israelis aged 20 and over were financially content in 2010
(when the last survey was conducted), compared to just 48% in 2002.
At
the same time, 35% of Israelis reported that they were unable to cover all
monthly household expenses, such as food, electricity and telephone bills.
Divided into sectors, 45% of Arabs were unable to pay all household expenses,
compared to 32% of Jews. 8% of people said they were unable to complete the
month at all, with all expenses taken into account.
Average monthly
household consumption in lower-class municipalities was NIS 11,821 at the time
of the survey, compared to NIS 12,755 in middle-class areas and NIS 16,995 in
upper-class areas.
The CBS released the above data ahead of the Jewish
New Year as part of a preview to its Society in Israel Report. It will publish
the full version of the report on October 17 to mark the International Day for
the Eradication of Poverty.