Study: 98% believe poverty exists in Israel

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Almost every Israeli believes poverty exists in Israel, a University of Haifa survey revealed Thursday. All of the Arab population and 96% of the Jewish population believe this, the survey found. This survey, conducted in the past couple of weeks, by Dr. Peninah (Tzipi) Ron and Dr. Karen Or of the University of Haifa's School of Social Work, included 836 Israeli citizens, from age 18 to 85. The investigators wanted to learn how people viewed their own personal economic situation now and in the future, as well as how the government handled poverty. They found that 98% of the population sees the government as responsible for dealing with poverty. However, only 36.5% feel the government actually fulfills its responsibility in helping the people. In contrast, 48.2% believe humanitarian and non-profit organizations to be responsible, and 84.7% think such bodies carry out this responsibility. As for the local authorities, 75% believe they are responsible for dealing with poverty, and 28.9% see it as in fact doing the job. Lastly, 31.4% see religious organizations and institutions as responsible, and 52% believe they actually carry out their responsibility.