Soldiers accompany children for pre-Independence Day march in Efrat
Soldiers accompany children for pre-Independence Day march in EfratGershon Slinson/Flash 90

A special Independence Day poll conducted by Professor Camille Fuchs, who heads Tel Aviv University’s Statistics Department, reveals that despite frustrations with the government, Israelis – Jewish and Arab alike – take pride in their state and its institutions.

While majorities of both populations took pride in the state and institutions like the IDF and police, only minorities among both Jews and Arabs felt the same about the Israeli government.

The poll found some significant differences between Israeli Arabs and Jews in the degree to which each took pride in the State of Israel and bodies like the IDF and Israeli police.

Not surprisingly, Israeli Jews were far more likely to say they were proud of Israel, with 88% taking pride in Israel, compared to just 10% who said they were not at all proud. But a significant majority of Israeli Arabs responded similarly, with 68% saying they were proud of the country, compared to 15% who said they were not.

Both groups were roughly evenly split on the Israeli government, though Israel Arabs were marginally more favorable than Jews. Among Israeli Jews, 45% felt proud of the government, compared to 50% who did not. By comparison, 47% of Israeli Arabs said they took pride in the government, compared to 42% who said they did not.

The biggest difference, however, came with regards to the Israeli army. A whopping 92% of Israeli Jews said they were proud of the IDF, compared to just 6% who said they were not. Among Arabs, only 54% said they were proud, compared to 24% who said they were not.

Interestingly, Israeli Arabs were more likely to say they were proud of the country’s police, with 65% expressing pride in Israel’s police, compared to 27% who did not. Only 55% of Israeli Jews said they were proud of the police, while 39% said they were not.