June 10, 2018
AJC's 2018 Survey of American Jewish Opinion, conducted by the research company SSRS, is based on telephone interviews carried out April 18-May 10 with a national sample of 1,001 Jews over age 18. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.9%.
1. |
How important is being Jewish in your life? |
| Very important | 40% | |
| Somewhat important | 37% | |
| Not too important | 17% | |
| Not at all important | 6% | |
| No opinion | 1% | |
2. |
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: “Caring about Israel is a very important part of my being a Jew.” |
| Agree strongly | 41% | |
| Agree somewhat | 29% | |
| Disagree somewhat | 19% | |
| Disagree strongly | 9% | |
| No opinion | 2% | |
3. |
Do you consider being Jewish mostly a matter of religion, or more a matter of ethnicity and culture? |
| Mostly a matter of religion | 24% | |
| Mostly a matter of ethnicity or culture | 56% | |
| Both equally | 17% | |
| No opinion | 2% | |
4. |
Looking ahead five years, do you think that the ties between American and Israeli Jews will be... |
| Stronger than today | ||
| Weaker than today | ||
| About the same as today | 60% | |
| No opinion | 5% | |
5. |
Using the metaphor of a family, do you consider Israeli Jews as your...? |
| Siblings | ||
| First Cousins | ||
| Extended family | 39% | |
| Not part of my family | 31% | |
| No opinion | 2% | |
6. |
Do you approve or disapprove of the way President Trump is handling U.S.-Israel relations? |
| Approve strongly | ||
| Approve somewhat | ||
| Disapprove somewhat | 16% | |
| Disapprove strongly | 41% | |
| No opinion | 8% | |
| AJC is a non-partisan organization that neither supports nor endorses candidates for elective offices. |
7. |
Do you think it appropriate for American Jews to attempt to influence Israeli policy on such issues as national security and peace negotiations with the Palestinians? |
| Yes, appropriate | 53% | |
| No, not appropriate | 43% | |
| No opinion | 4% | |
8. |
In the current situation, do you favor or oppose a two-state solution through the establishment of a demilitarized Palestinian state on the West Bank? |
| Favor strongly | 31% | |
| Favor somewhat | 28% | |
| Oppose somewhat | 12% | |
| Oppose strongly | ||
| No opinion | 10% | |
8a. |
As part of a peace agreement with the Palestinians, should Israel be willing to dismantle all, some, or none of the Jewish settlements in the West Bank? |
| Israel should be willing to dismantle all the settlements | ||
| Israel should be willing to dismantle some of the settlements | 44% | |
| Israel should not be willing to dismantle any of the settlements | 35% | |
| No opinion | 6% | |
9. |
Looking ahead five years, do you think that the chances for peaceful coexistence between Israel and a Palestinian state will...? |
| Improve | ||
| Decline | 22% | |
| Stay the same | 56% | |
| No opinion | 3% | |
10. |
In your opinion, can the State of Israel be both a Jewish state and a democracy, and if not, which should it be? |
| Yes, it can be both | 68% | |
| No, it should be a Jewish state | ||
| No, it should be a democracy | ||
| No opinion | 4% | |
11. |
Do you think the fact that Orthodox Judaism is the only denomination recognized by Israel as an official form of Judaism...? |
| Strengthens ties between Israeli and American Jews | ||
| Weakens ties between Israeli and American Jews | 53% | |
| Has no effect on ties between Israeli and American Jews | 35% | |
| No opinion | 4% | |
12. |
Which of the following statements about non-Orthodox forms of Judaism is closest to your view: |
| They strengthen Jewish life in the Diaspora but are irrelevant to Israel | ||
| Their growth in Israel could improve the quality of Jewish life there | 43% | |
| They are destined to disappear | ||
| None of the above | 37% | |
| No opinion | 3% | |
13. |
Currently, Jewish weddings, divorces, and conversions to Judaism in Israel are recognized only if Orthodox rabbis officiate. Should non-Orthodox rabbis also be permitted to officiate? |
| Yes | 80% | |
| No | ||
| No opinion | 3% | |
14. |
Currently, Israeli law does not allow for civil [secular] marriage and divorce. Should the law be changed, and civil marriage and divorce allowed? |
| Yes | 81% | |
| No | ||
| No opinion | 5% | |
15. |
Currently, prayer services at the Western Wall in Jerusalem—a site holy to Jews—are conducted according to Orthodox tradition, with men and women separated by a barrier. Do you support or oppose a mixed-gender prayer area adjacent to the Western Wall administered on an equal basis with the services at the Wall itself? |
| Support | 73% | |
| Oppose | ||
| No opinion | 6% | |
16. |
Do you support or oppose the recent U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and to relocate the U.S. embassy there? |
| Support | 46% | |
| Oppose | 47% | |
| No opinion | 6% | |
17. |
Do you identify as...? |
| Haredi [Ultra-Orthodox] | ||
| Modern Orthodox [Religious Zionist] | ||
| Conservative [Masorti] | 14% | |
| Reform | 29% | |
| Reconstructionist | ||
| Secular | 16% | |
| Other | 25% | |
18. |
Do you have family in Israel to whom you feel close? |
| Yes | 25% | |
| No | 74% | |
19. |
Do you think that a thriving Diaspora is vital for the long-term future of the Jewish people? |
| Yes | 69% | |
| No | ||
| No opinion | 14% | |
20. |
Do you think that a thriving State of Israel is vital for the long-term future of the Jewish people? |
| Yes | 79% | |
| No | ||
| No opinion | 3% | |
21. |
Where would you place yourself on this scale? |
| Liberal | 37% | |
| Lean Liberal | ||
| Moderate, Middle of the Road | 25% | |
| Lean Conservative | ||
| Conservative | ||
| AJC is a non-partisan organization that neither supports nor endorses candidates for elective offices. |
22. |
In politics today, do you consider yourself... |
| Republican | ||
| Democrat | 51% | |
| Independent | 24% | |
| Other | ||
| AJC is a non-partisan organization that neither supports nor endorses candidates for elective offices. |
23. |
In the presidential election of 2016, whom did you vote for? |
| Hillary Clinton | 60% | |
| Donald Trump | ||
| Another candidate | ||
| Didn't vote | ||
| AJC is a non-partisan organization that neither supports nor endorses candidates for elective offices. |
24. |
Is your opinion of the job President Trump is doing favorable or unfavorable? |
| Favorable | 26% | |
| Unfavorable | 71% | |
| No opinion | ||
| AJC is a non-partisan organization that neither supports nor endorses candidates for elective offices. |
25. |
From the standpoint of national security, compared to a year ago, is the United States more secure or less secure? |
| More secure than a year ago | 27% | |
| Less secure than a year ago | 58% | |
| About the same as a year ago | ||
| No opinion | ||
26. |
Compared to a year ago, is the American economy doing better or worse? |
| Better than a year ago | 50% | |
| Worse than a year ago | 29% | |
| About the same as a year ago | ||
| No opinion | ||
27. |
Compared to a year ago, do you think Americans are more united or more divided over their most important values? |
| More united than a year ago | ||
| More divided than a year ago | 82% | |
| About the same as a year ago | ||
| No opinion | ||
28. |
Compared to a year ago, is the status of Jews in the United States more secure or less secure? |
| More secure than a year ago | ||
| Less secure than a year ago | 55% | |
| About the same as a year ago | 24% | |
| No opinion | ||
29. |
Compared to a year ago, is the climate on college campuses less hostile or more hostile toward pro-Israel students? |
| Less hostile than a year ago | ||
| More hostile than a year ago | 53% | |
| About the same as a year ago | ||
| No opinion | 22% | |
30. |
In your opinion, do Jews in Europe have a future, or should they leave now? |
| Jews in Europe have a future | 75% | |
| Jews in Europe should leave now | ||
| No opinion | ||
31. |
If the election for U.S. Congress were held today, would you vote for the Republican or the Democratic candidate in your district? |
| Republican | ||
| Democrat | 67% | |
| Other | ||
| Other | ||
| AJC is a non-partisan organization that neither supports nor endorses candidates for elective offices. |
32. |
Does the involvement of the United States in global affairs make our country more safe or less safe? |
| More safe | 64% | |
| Less safe | 29% | |
| No opinion | ||
33. |
In your opinion, which foreign nation poses the single greatest danger to the United States? |
| China | ||
| Iran | ||
| North Korea | ||
| Russia | 44% | |
| Another country | ||
| No opinion | ||
34. |
In your opinion, should immigration be kept at its present level, increased, or decreased? |
| Kept at present level | 34% | |
| Increased | 46% | |
| Decreased | ||
| No opinion | ||
35. |
Do you support or oppose DACA, a program that allows undocumented immigrants to stay in the United States if they arrived here as children, completed high school or military service, and have not been convicted of a serious crime? |
| Support | 89% | |
| Oppose | ||
36. |
What do you think is more important—to protect the rights of Americans to own guns, or to control gun ownership? |
| To protect the rights of Americans to own guns | 25% | |
| To control gun ownership | 70% | |
| No opinion | ||
