Over 1 in 4 Israelis considering leaving the country

It found that a larger percentage of Arab Israelis (30%) are considering leaving than Jewish Israelis (26%). Among Jews, the less individuals identified as religious, the more likely they were to say they were considering emigration, and respondents identifying as left-wing were more likely to say so than those on the right.

Of those who said they were considering leaving, 69% of Jews and 62.5% of Arabs said they had no specific pull abroad — it was just a matter of getting out of the country.

The poll was conducted after some 18 months of war on multiple fronts — before Israel’s 12-day war with Iran in June and before a fragile ceasefire was achieved last month in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, leading to the return of all but three of the hostages held there. It is unclear whether these two developments would change the results.

Among those weighing emigration, those who identified as non-religious made up the highest percentage (39%), followed by traditional but non-religious (24%), traditional religious (19%), Orthodox (14%), and finally ultra-Orthodox (4%).

Among younger secular Jewish Israelis, 60% said they would consider leaving, and among those with a high income and a foreign passport, the figure jumped to 80%.

In both Arabs and Jews, the more educated were more likely to consider leaving, and high and medium-high incomes created a higher likelihood as well. In the same vein, people with jobs that enabled more global mobility, such as high-tech, medicine, and finance, were most likely to consider leaving.

Israelis with a second citizenship were unsurprisingly more likely to weigh leaving than those without, but the study found more Israeli-born citizens (33%) were considering moving than those who had immigrated to Israel (22%). The study attributed this to the intentionality of immigrating, noting that those who had made the effort to come would be less likely to think of leaving.

Israeli-born Jews with dual citizenship were more likely to consider leaving if they had lived abroad for any amount of time. The longer they had spent abroad, the more likely they were to consider moving away from Israel.

Forty-two percent of Jews and 33% of Arabs reported thinking that the current state of the nation was “bad,” while 8% and 15% respectively described it as “good.”

Respondents cited cost of living, security and political concerns and “the lack of a good future for my children” as top considerations for emigrating.

The most popular destination among those thinking of leaving was the European Union (43%). higher than North America or Canada (27%).

Other concerns included public services, Israel’s international standing, the state of the country’s democracy, free speech, and Israel’s identity as the Jewish state.

The biggest consideration for staying in Israel for both Jewish and Arab Israelis was the desire to stay close to family. Both groups’ respondents were far more likely to say they might leave if relatives had left the country in recent years.