64% of Israeli Jews Want a Government Without Haredim, or One That Does Not Give in to Their Demands

JERUSALEM, Israel – September 7, 2026 — Hiddush’s annual survey has found that nearly two-thirds (64%) of Israel’s adult Jewish public support forming a broad coalition after the next election — either without the Haredi parties, or including them but without accepting their demands on religion-and-state issues, such as exemption of yeshiva students from conscription, increased funding for religious institutions, a ban on public transportation on Shabbat, and blocking civil marriage.

Released in the days before Rosh Hashanah, as Israel is at the height of an election campaign in just a few weeks, the survey found that this position is shared by 86% of secular Israelis, 63% of non-religious traditional Israelis, 60% of traditional Israelis close to religion, and 45% of the religious public.

The 2026 Religion and State Index — carried out by the Smith Polling Institute for Hiddush, an organization advocating for religious freedom and equality in Israel — is the 18th annual Religion and State Index published by Hiddush. The Index is the only systematic and in‑depth periodic survey of the Jewish‑Israeli public’s views on religion and state, and its findings present a comprehensive picture of the full range of contested issues in this arena and enable the tracking of shifts over time across social, political, and religious segments.

The Index findings expose the wide gap between the government’s repeated claim that it represents the will of the people and the actual positions of the majority of the adult Jewish public. On every religion-and-state issue tested — from conscripting yeshiva students and sanctioning draft-dodgers to civil marriage — the majority position runs counter to current government policy and favors freedom of religion and equality. Even among coalition party voters, a significant share opposes government policy.

Voters for the ‘Change Bloc’ — and What Their Representatives Will Actually Do

Among voters for parties outside the current coalition, support for advancing freedom of religion and equality ranges from 77% to 100% across every issue tested. Between 83% and 92% of them said a party’s commitment to religion-and-state issues would increase the likelihood they’d vote for it. Notably, most of these parties have not yet put forward a comprehensive platform on the issue; their opposition to the Haredi parties centers mainly on the conscription question. Among undecided voters — the group likely to determine the election’s outcome — 95% said such a commitment would increase the likelihood they’d vote for that party. Among the secular public, the figure is 83%.

Support for Jewish Pluralism and Equality for All Streams of Judaism

58% of the adult Jewish public supports equal status for all streams of Judaism in Israel. Support was even higher between the Index’s launch in 2009 (when Hiddush was founded) and 2020 — suggesting a link between the current government’s attacks on and delegitimization of Reform Judaism, and the subsequent decline in support for equal status among the streams. Among the secular public, support stands at 87%. High support was also measured among voters for the ‘change bloc’ parties (86–93%) — grounds for expecting, or at least demanding, a dramatic policy shift if they form the next government, whether pushed by Israeli non-Orthodox movements or by Diaspora Jewish leadership.

Attacks on the Supreme Court and Public Trust in Institutions

A central front in Israel’s religion-and-state battles centers on the Supreme Court and the Attorney General, both of which face harsh attacks from coalition Members of Knesset and ministers. The Index found that, regarding trust in institutions, the Supreme Court enjoys a high level of trust from 30% of the public — three times the trust in the Knesset (10%) and nearly double the trust in the government (18%) and the Chief Rabbinate (15%). 43% said they have no trust in any of these institutions. Notably, among the religious public, only 28% place high trust in the Chief Rabbinate, and 50% say they trust none of these institutions — the highest rate among all religious groups. Among secular Israelis, just 1% trust the Chief Rabbinate, while 47% trust the Supreme Court.

What the Public Wants Prioritized

According to the Index, the issue that the public most wants a party it might vote for to prioritize is conscripting yeshiva students into the army or civilian service, followed by freedom of religion and equality of burden more broadly, and third, cutting budgets for yeshivas and religious institutions. Compared with last year’s list of public priorities, there was also a significant rise in the importance voters place on enforcing core curriculum studies in Haredi education.

Conscripting Yeshiva Students

84% of respondents support conscripting yeshiva students in some form, slightly up from 80% last year. 53% believe that everyone should be conscripted into full regular service according to the army’s needs or essential civilian service, and another 31% believe there should be an annual quota of exemptions for outstanding students, with everyone else conscripted. Only 16% accept the Haredi position that yeshiva students should be exempt from service — down from 20% last year and 25% in 2022.

The Index’s multi-year tracking shows how much has changed since October 7. In 2021, 26% supported full conscription of everyone and 51% preferred a quota of exemptions for outstanding students. Now, the ratio is almost completely reversed. Even within the Haredi public itself, there is some support for quotas and even conscription: 4% support conscripting everyone, and 14% support quotas.

Sanctions Against Draft-Dodgers

At the request of the Attorney General, the Supreme Court ordered the State to expand sanctions against yeshiva students who refuse to enlist, both by cutting public subsidies and through arrests. The government, at the demand of the Haredi parties, is working to pass legislation blocking the arrests and providing alternative funding. 66% support the Supreme Court and Attorney General’s steps to advance the duty of service and equality in sharing the security burden, while only 34% support the government’s position and its opposition to the Court’s rulings.

This majority position is shared by 91% of secular Israelis, 70% of non-religious traditional Israelis, 55% of traditional Israelis close to religion, and even 37% of the religious public. This year’s question was worded to explicitly pit the government’s position against that of the Supreme Court and the Attorney General — meaning the answers also reflect the degree of support for the government and its policies. Even in this context, two-thirds of the public side with the Supreme Court.

The Effect of the Government’s Conduct

47% of respondents said that the government’s conduct on religion-and-state issues, and its acceptance of the Haredi parties’ demands, has reinforced their view that sharing the burden of security service must be ensured, freedom of religion and freedom from religion upheld, and the Supreme Court’s ability to protect these freedoms preserved. The public’s growing negative feelings toward government policies in this area stands out when compared with past responses to a similar question: 37% in the 2024 Index and 38% in the 2025 Index. Only 16% said the government’s conduct reinforced the opposite view.

Education System

In Israel, the State fully funds the two large school networks controlled by the Haredi parties (comprising hundreds of educational institutions and close to 200,000 students). In recent years, largely as a result of Hiddush’s petitions to the Supreme Court, public awareness has grown that these school networks do not teach the mandatory core curriculum and fail to meet the accompanying requirements they are legally obligated to fulfill. The Index examines public opinion on this issue: 76% believe that State funding should be cut for Haredi schools that refuse to teach the core curriculum and administer external exams. 55% think that funding should be revoked entirely, and another 21% – that it should be cut by 50%. Only 24% think that Haredi educational institutions should not be required to teach the core curriculum at all.

77% think that all ties between educational institutions and political parties should be severed, that funding should be halted for institutions that fail to meet their legal obligations, and that those responsible should be prosecuted.

Equal Funding for Education Across All Sectors, Including Arab Education

In response to recently published official findings which show that the Ministry of Education over-funds State-religious Jewish education relative to general Jewish education (24% more at the high-school level) and Arab state education (40% more at the high-school level), 70% of those with an opinion said all discrimination in State education should be eliminated, and that full funding equality should be guaranteed for all students in Israel, regardless of religion or race.

Stanley P. Gold, Chair of Hiddush USA, said: “I call on my colleagues in the leadership of North American Jewish communities and organizations to recognize the historic opportunity that the upcoming Israeli election may open up, after many years of policy hostile to Diaspora Jewry and the pluralism, democracy, and equality that define our way of life. The majority of Israel’s Jewish public opposes the policies of this government, which has turned its back on North American Jewry and the rest of the world, and crudely discriminated against the major streams of Judaism. The 2026 Religion and State Index proves that the views of Diaspora Jewry and the views of the Jewish public in Israel are much closer than one might have believed given the outgoing government’s policies and the harsh comments of its leaders. These views are also shared by likely voters for the ‘change bloc’ parties that could well form the next government. If that does happen, it may open the way for a new era in Israel-Diaspora relations and for the future of the State of Israel.”

Rabbi Uri Regev, CEO of Hiddush – For Religious Freedom and Equality, said: “The government keeps claiming it represents the will of the people, but our Index says otherwise. On every single issue we asked about, a significant majority of the adult Jewish public in Israel holds a position opposed to the government’s. For years, parties across the political spectrum knew what the public thinks about religion-and-state issues — and simply didn’t care, because they knew this wasn’t the issue that would determine how the public casts its vote — this time is different. But the truth must also be told about the ‘change bloc.’ Its opposition to the Haredi parties is driven more by the heat of the fight over the conscription law than by any genuine vision for Israel’s character as a Jewish and democratic State. The public isn’t asking for isolated achievements — it’s asking for a comprehensive change: freedom of religion and equality in the spirit of the Declaration of Independence. It’s essential that the change-bloc parties internalize this.”

Methodology

The Religion and State Index survey was conducted by the Smith Polling Institute between July 13–16, 2026, among an expanded sample of 800 men and women representing Israel’s adult Jewish population, ages 18 and up. Margin of error: 3.3%.

Additional Findings

• Freedom of religion and conscience: 85% agree that the State of Israel should uphold freedom of religion and conscience — i.e.  freedom of choice and conduct for both secular and religious people according to their own worldviews. This position is shared by 92% of secular Israelis, 89% of traditional Israelis close to religion, 71% of the religious public, and 62% of Haredim.
• Separation of religion and state: 59% support separating religion and state. Support stands at 88% among secular Israelis, 52% among non-religious traditional Israelis, and 43% among traditional Israelis close to religion.
• Social conflicts: 81% cite the tension between right and left, and 74% cite the tension between Haredim and secular Israelis, as the two most severe conflicts in Israeli society. Ethnic tension stands at 16%, and tension between rich and poor has dropped to 11%, compared with rates around a third at the start of the previous decade.
• Freedom of marriage: 65% support Israel recognizing all types of marriage, including civil, Reform, or Conservative. Assuming all options existed and were equally recognized, 49% would choose Orthodox marriage, 16% Conservative or Reform marriage, 11% civil marriage abroad, 9% online ‘Utah’ marriage, and 15% would choose to live together without formal marriage.
• Jewish heritage in State education: 67% support including Jewish heritage content in the State education system, provided it is taught pluralistically and presents the full range of approaches — including secular, Orthodox, and non-Orthodox perspectives.
• Civil burial: 44% are aware that civil burial is an available option, and 39% would prefer it when the time comes — including 77% of the secular public.
• The Shift Among Likud Voters: The most striking political finding in this year’s Index is the gap between the positions of those who voted for Likud in the last election and those who currently say they intend to vote for the party. This points to a change in the profile of today’s prospective Likud voters, and may help explain, at least in part, why many voters have shifted their support to other parties — reflected in the steady erosion of the party’s standing in the polls. On every major issue tested, today’s Likud voters are less liberal than those who voted for the party in the past.

About Hiddush

Hiddush – For Religious Freedom and Equality is a non-denominational, non-partisan Israel-Diaspora nonprofit dedicated to advancing religious freedom and equality, as envisioned in Israel’s Declaration of Independence. Founded in 2009, Hiddush mobilizes grassroots support, conducts research and polling, provides legal assistance to victims of religious discrimination, and advocates in the legal system, and with policymakers and the media. Hiddush works to strengthen Israel as both a democracy and a Jewish State, while fostering ties with world Jewry.