Homeless man in Jerusalem (file)
Homeless man in Jerusalem (file)Flash90

Israelis are in general happy with life, a new poll released by the Central Bureau of Statistics said. In a poll of 7,400 adults (20 and over) from around the country, 86% said that they were “satisfied” with their lives. Of those, 31% were “very satisfied” with their lives. Satisfaction and happiness were a feature of life for both Jews and Arabs, with 88% of the former saying they were satisfied, while 73% of the latter did as well.

With that, many Israelis wish they could do better economically. Sixty five percent of Jews said they were able to pay for their monthly expenses with their income, compared to 38% of Arabs. Many in both groups – 45% for Jews, and 59% for Arabs – wished they could improve their economic situation. However, many – 40% of Jews and 35% of Arabs – were optimistic that that would take place in the coming years.

The poll also asked whether respondents “felt poor.” Among Jews, only 12% did on average – except for haredi Israelis, 22% of whom said they felt poor. Among Arabs, that number was 29%. The number of children in a household also influenced how poor people felt, with those with 13% to 18% of adults with zero to four children saying they felt poor, but that statistic increasing to 35% for those who had five or more children.

According to the report, sixteen percent of Israelis said they had been forced to cut down on food because of poverty; 11% said they were forced to give up a hot meal at least once out of every two days because they could not afford to buy food for that meal. Among haredim, that figure - 15% - was higher.