The Central Bureau for Statistics has published its annual report on volunteering in Israel, with findings similar to those in years past.
Around a quarter of all Jewish Israelis engage in volunteer work, the Bureau's survey found. When looking at sector-based sub-divisions, it was found that haredim volunteer the most - some 40 percent of haredim volunteer. Among the religious community, around 32 percent volunteer. 25 percent of people who define themselves as secular do volunteer work, and 18 percent of those who describe themselves as traditional.
38 percent of those who volunteer do so within the framework of an organization or several organizations. 44 percent of respondents who volunteer said that they do so on a private basis, and 18 percent said that they volunteered for organizations in addition to doing so on a private basis.
Most volunteer work involves helping those who are physically vulnerable or in need of various forms of support such as the elderly, disabled people, and at-risk youth. 46 percent of those who volunteer said that they worked among these groups, as opposed to 14 percent who said that they volunteered in the education sector and another 8.4 percent who volunteer in the healthcare sector.
35 percent of respondents who engage in volunteer work said that they devote up to nine hours per month to volunteering. 31 percent said that they volunteer for 10 hours or more per month. Other respondents reported that they had no fixed amount of time during which they volunteer.
The survey also found that people who engage in volunteer work have higher rates of life satisfaction. 95 percent of those who volunteer said that they were satisfied with their lives, of which 53 percent said they were "very satisfied." By contrast, just 38 percent of people who do not engage in volunteer work said that they are "very satisfied" with their lives.
People who volunteer also tend to be more optimistic, the survey found. 68 percent of volunteers said that they believe their lives will improve over the next few years, whereas only 55 percent of people who do not volunteer expressed a similar sentiment.