Majority of Israelis believe in God or higher being, poll finds

Published: 11 September 2018

Last updated: 4 March 2024

A HAARETZ-DIALOG poll seeks to decipher the beliefs of Israeli Jews, their religious customs and their views on some of the hot-button issues in which religion plays a major role.

Most Israeli Jews believe in God. Among Western democratic countries, Israel’s only competitor for the heavyweight God-fearing title is the United States, hitherto recognized as the most puritan of democracies.

The figures for the two countries are identical enough to be spooky. They put Israel and the United States squarely in the lead in terms of belief in God, with Western European countries far behind.

According to our poll, 54 percent of Jewish Israelis believe in God, and another 21 percent accept the existence of an undefined superior power other than God. A poll published by Pew Research a few months ago found that 56 percent of Americans believe in the original God of the Bible and another 23 percent in a superior force.

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Illustration: Leo Atelman