AJC 2006 Annual Survey of American Jewish Opinion
October 23, 2006 ? New York ? While American Jews are highly supportive of Israel's efforts to achieve peace, in the wake of the summer war with Hezbollah a majority remains skeptical about the chances for achieving an overall peace and worry that the conflict may lead again to a regional war, according to a new survey by the American Jewish Committee. Fifty-six percent of American Jews think Israel and the Arabs never will be able to settle their differences and live in peace, while 38 percent believe they will.
Regarding the war between Israel and Hezbollah, 55 percent approved, and 35 percent disapproved, of the way the Israeli government handled the conflict in Lebanon in July and August. Similarly, 53 percent approved, and 39 percent disapproved, of the way the U.S. government handled the conflict. American Jews are evenly divided on the outcome of Israel's summer war with Hezbollah, with 49 percent saying neither Israel nor Hezbollah emerged the winner, 2 percent saying both were victorious, 24 percent to Israel and 15 percent to Hezbollah.
Despite these mixed results, a majority of American Jews, 54 percent, favor the establishment of a Palestinian state, while 38 percent are opposed. These figures are consistent with AJC surveys since 2001.
AJC's Survey of American Jewish Opinion, conducted annually since 1997, gauges U.S. Jewish views on the Arab-Israeli peace process, terrorism, Iran, the war in Iraq, perceptions of anti-Semitism, social and political issues in the U.S. such as energy and immigration, and Jewish identity concerns. National Security and U.S. Foreign Policy
62 percent of American Jews disapprove, and 31 percent approve, of how the U.S. government is handling the campaign against terrorism, figures consistent with the general American population.
Compared to one year ago, 8 percent of U.S. Jews feel safer from the threat of terrorism, 31 percent feel less safe and 61 percent feel the same. Sixty-five percent believe the U.S. should have stayed out of Iraq, while 29 percent believe America was correct in taking military action against Iraq. On Iran's nuclear program, only one-third, 33 percent, approve of the way the U.S. is handling the situation, and 54 percent disapprove. Moreover, only 38 percent of American Jews would support U.S. military action against Iran to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons, while 54 percent are opposed.
U.S. Domestic Policy The survey asked about domestic policy issues, in particular energy and immigration.
On energy independence, an overwhelming majority of American Jews consider achieving energy independence important, with 81 percent saying it is very important and 18 percent saying it is somewhat important. Asked what are the best ways for the U.S. to handle its energy needs, 5 percent said encouraging greater energy production, 9 percent said greater energy conservation, 74 percent said developing alternative energy sources, and 11 percent all three options.
On immigration reform, 66 percent of American Jews believe illegal immigrants could remain in the U.S. to work if they meet certain criteria, whereas 14 percent believe all illegal immigrants should be deported. Seventeen percent think illegal immigrants should be allowed to remain to work for a limited time. Anti-Semitism
Perceptions of anti-Semitism in the U.S. remain unchanged from last year, with 26 percent of American Jews calling it a very serious problem, 65 percent somewhat of a problem, and 9 percent not a problem at all. Asked about different groups' attitudes toward Jews, 59 percent of American Jews see "many" or "most" Muslims in the U.S. as anti-Semitic. Asian Americans are viewed as the least anti-Semitic.
Looking ahead over the next several years, 53 percent of U.S. Jews think anti-Semitism around the world will increase, while 36 percent say it will remain the same and 8 percent think it will decrease.
The 2006 Annual Survey of American Jewish Opinion was carried out for AJC by Synovate (formerly Market Facts), a leading survey-research organization. The 958 respondents were interviewed by telephone between September 25 and October 16. The margin of error for the sample as a whole is plus or minus 3 percentage points.
The complete AJC survey is available at www.ajc.org.
Ari M. Gordon Program Associate, Intergroup Affairs The American Jewish Committee 165 E56th St. New York, NY 10022 (212) 751-4000 x266 www.ajc.org www.engagingamerica.org