By most measures, Jews have better quality of life than Arabs - report
This was the first year in which CBS compared data in this way.
By ZEV STUBARABS CITIZENS protest in Jaffa earlier this year, carrying a banner says that ‘The city and the police are chasing after the dead’ following a decision by the Tel Aviv Municipality to demolish an old Muslim burial ground which was discovered after plans had been made to build a homeless shelter and(photo credit: TOMER NEUBERG/FLASH90)
Out of 62 different measures of quality of life, Jews in Israel fared better than Arabs on 50 of them for 2019, according to a report by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) published Tuesday.Arabs scored better in nine indices, and the rating was equal for three indices, the report said. This was the first year in which CBS compared data in this way, a spokesperson said.CBS tracks indicators for 11 areas of quality of life, including employment quality, personal security, health, housing and infrastructure, education and skills, personal and social welfare, environment, civic involvement, material standard of living, culture, community and leisure and information technologies. In 10 out the 11 areas, the Jewish population ranked higher in the majority of the indices tracked. Only in the culture, community and leisure sphere was there parity, with Jews and Arabs each performing better in one index.In all other areas of life, the difference between the Jewish and Arab populations was pronounced. Under Jews did better in all eight indices related to employment, and all six indices of civic involvement. Under personal and social welfare, Jews fared better in seven indices and tied with the Arab population for one.CBS data on Jews and Arabs in Israel.This report is a good description of the social and economic situation of Israel's Arabs on the eve of the coronavirus crisis, noted Dr. Arik Rudnitzky, a researcher at the Israel Democracy Institute.The good news, Rudnitzky said, is that a deep look at the data shows that the education gap between Jews and Arabs on the high school level has nearly disappeared. "Jews and Arabs have enjoyed similar levels of education for the past 3-4 years," he noted. Rudnitzky was also encouraged by a high level of trust the Arab public has for the medical establishment, a factor that no doubt helped prevent COVID-19 mortality rates among Arabs from becoming worse.But the economic gaps are a major issue holding the Arab sector back and harming its ability to weather the pandemic crisis. "We see that the average salary among Jews is nearly twice that among Israeli Arabs. Jews earn an average of NIS 120,000 per year, while Arabs earn only NIS 66,000. That's a real weakness that made them very sensitive to economic shocks like we have experienced. People are saying that the pandemic set the Arab economy back 2-5 years. What they are experiencing isn't just an economic crisis, it's a social crisis. The economic inequality is leaving many people unable to support their families."
