Israelis generally describe their society as one rife with divisions. More than half say there are strong or very strong conflicts between people who are religious and people who are not religious (56%), between Arab Israelis and Jewish Israelis (61%), and between those on the political left and right (69%).
Still, the shares who see conflicts between these groups have mostly fallen since last year – as have the shares who see each conflict as very strong.
And although Israelis are broadly optimistic about the ability of religious and secular Jews to live together, they are much less sure about the ability of Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs to live together peacefully.
We’ve also previously reported that a declining share of Israelis now think it’s possible for Israel and an independent Palestinian state to coexist peacefully with each other.
Ideological, ethnic and religious conflicts among Israelis
Conflicts between the political left and right
More Israelis say there are conflicts between those on the left and right (69%) than say the same of the other groups asked about – and 24% describe these political conflicts as very strong. Last year, 74% saw at least strong political conflicts, including 32% who said they were very strong.
Jews are much more likely than Arabs to say there are political conflicts in Israeli society (76% vs. 42%). Interestingly, this marks one of the few issues on which Israelis on the left and right agree, with both groups about equally likely to say that there are strong divides between them.
Conflicts between Arab Israelis and Jewish Israelis
Around six-in-ten adults in Israel (61%) perceive conflicts between Arab Israelis and Jewish Israelis, down from 72% last year. This is the largest decrease on any of the three conflicts asked about. And only 28% now say ethnic conflicts are very strong, down from 46%.
Israeli Arabs (58%) and Israeli Jews (61%) are equally likely to say there are at least strong conflicts between their two groups. Last year Jewish Israelis were more likely than Arab Israelis to see very strong ethnic conflicts, but today they are equally likely to hold this opinion (27% vs. 30%).
People who do not think an independent Palestinian state can coexist peacefully with Israel are more likely than those who think this is possible to see societal conflicts between Arab Israelis and Jewish Israelis (71% vs. 54%).
Conflicts between people who are religious and people who are not
A slim majority of Israelis (56%) say there are conflicts between the religious and nonreligious segments of the population, including 18% who say these are very strong conflicts. Last year, six-in-ten Israelis saw conflicts between religious and nonreligious people, including 29% who said the conflicts were very strong.
Jews (59%) are more likely than Arabs (43%) to see these as strong conflicts. Among Jews, Hilonim are more likely than Masortim or Haredim/Datiim to describe them as such.
Optimism about future relations
Religious and secular Jews living together
By more than two-to-one, Israelis are more optimistic (56%) than pessimistic (20%) about the ability of religious and secular Jews to live together peacefully. Around one-in-five volunteer another response such as “Both,” “Neither” or “It depends.”
Israeli Jews are relatively more optimistic about this than Israeli Arabs are (62% vs. 33%). But this is related in large part to Arabs being more likely to say they are unsure or to volunteer an alternate response on this question, rather than because they are more pessimistic.
Among Jews, Haredim and Datiim (79%) and Masortim (75%) are much more optimistic than Hilonim (45%) about coexistence between religious and secular Jews in Israel. Israelis on the ideological right (71%) are also much more optimistic than those in the center (50%) or on the left (31%).
Adults who perceive very strong conflicts between religious people and nonreligious people are much less optimistic about a future of peaceful coexistence for these groups than are those who see less strong conflicts (38% vs. 61%).
Israeli Arabs and Israeli Jews living together
Israelis are significantly less optimistic when it comes to the ability of Jews and Arabs to live together peacefully in Israel: Equal shares report optimism and pessimism (37% each), with 23% volunteering some other response such as “Both,” “Neither” or “It depends.”
This is an area where Jewish and Arab Israelis agree: They are similarly likely to be optimistic – and to be pessimistic – about peaceful future relations between their two groups.
Israelis who place themselves on the ideological left are somewhat more optimistic than those on the right (44% vs. 33%). Among Israelis in the center, 40% are optimistic.
Those who perceive very strong conflicts between Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs are somewhat less optimistic than those who see less strong conflicts (31% vs. 40%).
Palestinian statehood and coexistence
Around a quarter of Israelis (26%) think that a way can be found for Israel and an independent Palestinian state to coexist peacefully with each other. Half think this is not possible, while another 20% say it depends.
The feeling that peaceful coexistence is possible has decreased 9 percentage points since last year and 24 points since we first began asking the question in 2013.
Notably, nearly all of this decline is due to shifting opinions among Jewish Israelis. Today, 19% of Jews think peaceful coexistence is possible, down from 32% who said the same in 2023. In contrast, Arab Israelis have grown slightly more optimistic about peaceful coexistence – 49% say it’s possible, up from 41% last year.
Opinion about peaceful coexistence also differs across the ideological spectrum: 60% of Israeli adults who place themselves on the left think it’s possible, compared with 33% of those in the center and 8% of those on the right. The shift from last year has been particularly extreme for those in the center: The share optimistic about coexistence fell 20 points, compared with a drop of 13 points on the left and 6 points on the right.
(Read more about views of a two-state solution in our previous report.)
Optimism about Israel’s political system
Fewer Israelis say they are optimistic (35%) than pessimistic (50%) about the way the country’s political system works, with the remaining 15% volunteering some other response such as “Both,” “Neither” or “It depends.”
Israeli Jews are almost evenly split on whether they are optimistic (40%) or pessimistic (44%) about the political system – though they are significantly more optimistic than Israeli Arabs (15%). About seven-in-ten Arabs (69%) say they are pessimistic about the future of the political system in Israel.
People on the right are also more optimistic (47%) than those in the center (25%) or on the left (21%). Relatedly, Israelis with positive views of Netanyahu and his governing coalition also express more optimism about the political system in general than do those with unfavorable views.
People who think there are very strong conflicts between secular and religious Jews in Israel are more likely to say they are pessimistic about the political system than are those who see less strong conflicts (60% vs. 47%), although those who say these conflicts are not very strong are less likely to offer a response on this question.
By way of comparison, we also polled Israelis on their optimism about Israel’s national security and on future relations between different groups in Israeli society (explored in depth in Chapter 2 of this report). Of all the issues Israelis were asked about, the future of their country’s political system is far and away the topic on which they feel the most pessimistic.
