Survey of American Jewish Opinion (2003)

Becoming closer

Drifting apart

WAR ON TERRORISM AND IRAQ

Do you approve or disapprove of the way President George W. Bush is handling the U.S. campaign against terrorism?

	2003	2002
Approve	41	59
Disapprove	54	37
Not sure	5	5

Do you think that Americans will or will not have to give up some of their personal freedoms in order to make the country safe from terrorist attacks?

	2002
Will	78
Will not	20
Not sure	2

Here are some increased powers of investigation that law enforcement agencies might use when dealing with people suspected of terrorist activity, which would also affect our civil liberties. For each, please say if you would favor or oppose it.

	2002	2002	2002
	Favor	Oppose	Not sure
Expanded undercover activities to penetrate groups under suspicious	86	12	2
Adoption of a national I.D. system for all U.S. citizens	67	30	3
Expanded camera surveillance on streets and in public places	65	33	3
Profiling of people and searching them based on their nationality, race, or religion	35	62	2

Do you approve or disapprove of the United States taking military action against Iraq to try and remove Saddam Hussein from power? (2002)
Do you approve or disapprove of the war with Iraq (2003)

	2003	2002
Approve	43	59
Disapprove	54	36
Not sure	3	5

If the United States takes military action against Iraq, do you think the threat of terrorism against the United States will increase, decrease, or stay about the same? (2002)
Do you think the threat of terrorism against the United States has increased, decreased, or stayed about the same as a result of the war with Iraq? (2003)

	2003	2002
Increase	42	62
Decrease	9	6
Stay about the same	48	32
Not sure	1	1

In your opinion, do you think that a war between the United States and Iraq is likely to lead to a larger war between other countries in the Middle East?

	2002
Yes, likely	56
No, not likely	41
Not sure	3

ISRAEL

How close do you feel to Israel?

	2003	2002	2000
Very close	31	29	28
Fairly close	43	44	46
Fairly distant	18	20	18
Very distant	8	6	7
Not sure	1	1	1

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? "Caring about Israel is a very important part of my being a Jew?

	2003	2002	2000	1999	1998	1997
Agree	76	73	80
Disagree	22	26	18
Not sure	2	1	2

Have you ever been to Israel?

	2002	2000	1999	1998	1997
No	63	58
Yes -- once	20	23
Yes -- more than once	17	20

Looking ahead 3 to 5 years, do you see Jews in Israel and in the United States becoming closer, drifting apart, or neither?

How would you characterize relations between Israel and the United States today? Are they very positive, somewhat positive, somewhat negative, or very negative?

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? "Israel no longer needs the financial support of American Jews."

	2000
Agree	10
Disagree	87
Not sure	2

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? "Regardless of their individual views on the peace negotiations with the Arabs, American Jews should support the policies of the duly elected government of Israel."

	2003	2002	2000
Agree	63	61	62
Disagree	34	36	32
Not sure	4	4	7

To what extent do each of the following Arab leaders support or oppose peace with Israel?

	Strongly support (2002)	Strongly Support (2000)	Somewhat support (2002)	Somewhat Support (2000)	Somewhat oppose (2002)	Somewhat Oppose (2000)	Strongly oppose (2002)	Strongly Oppose (2000)	Not sure (2002)	Not Sure (2000)
President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt	8	19	50	48	24	12	8	6	10	15
President Bashar Assad of Syria	1	2	13	17	32	28	39	28	15	25
King Abdullah of Jordan	12	17	46	44	22	13	9	8	11	19
PLO Chairman Yasir Arafat	1	7	7	33	20	25	70	28	3	8

Overall, do you support or oppose the Israeli government's handling of the peace negotiations with the Arabs?

	2003+	2000	1998*	1997*	1996	1995	1994	1993
Support	60	59	66	61	79	68	77	84
Oppose	32	24	27	24	13	15	10	9
Not sure	8	17	7	15	8	17	14	8

*The question in 1997 began by first noting the election of Netanyahu, then inserting his name in place of the word "Israeli." In 1998, "Netanyahu was used instead of "Israeli."
+The question in 2003 asked about negotiations with "the Palestinian Authority" and not "the Arabs."

As part of a permanent settlement with the Palestinians, should Israel be willing to dismantle all, some or none of the Jewish settlements in the West Bank?

*The question in 1994 combined the West Bank with Gaza and asked for a yes/no answer. "Yes" replies compare to the sum of "All" and "Some" replies in the other surveys.

How much land should Israel be willing to give up on the Golan Heights in order to reach a peace agreement with Syria?

	1999	1998	1995	1994	1993
All of it	2	2	2	3	2
Most of it	4	3	3	4	5
Some of it	23	23	26	27	29
Only a small part of it	32	26	28	27	30
None of it	37	42	33	32	27
Not sure	2	3	7	7	6

Given the current situation, do you favor or oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state?

	2003	2002	1999	1998	1995	1994	1993
Favor	54	49	44	42	46	53	57
Oppose	41	47	47	49	39	34	30
Not sure	5	5	9	9	15	13	13

In the framework of a permanent peace with the Palestinians, should Israel be willing to compromise on the status of Jerusalem as a united city under Israeli jurisdiction?

	2003	2002	2000	1999	1998	1995	1994	1993
Yes	42	41	36	42	33	33	32	30
No	54	55	57	55	61	62	60	62
Not sure	4	4	7	4	5	5	8	8

(If yes, to previous question) In the framework of a permanent peace with the Palestinians, should Israel be willing to relinquish sovereignty of the Old City of Jerusalem?

	2000
Yes	17
No	76
Not sure	7

If the Palestinian Authority (PLO) unilaterally declares statehood, what response by Israel would you most favor?

	2000
Israel should accept the declaration of statehood	24
Israel should break off negotiations with the Palestinians	28
Israel should annex the remainder of the West Bank	17
Other	18
Not sure	13

Tension between secular and ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel is becoming sharper. In your view, who is principally responsible for this increase in tension?

	2000
Secular israelis	7
Ultra-Orthodox Israelis	72
Both equally	12
Not sure	9

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? "The goal of the Arabs is not the return of occupied territories but rather the destruction of Israel."

	2003	2002	2000	1999	1998	1995	1994	1993
Agree	81	82	69	66	68	56	51	42
Disagree	16	15	23	27	24	37	41	50
Not sure	3	4	8	7	7	7	8	9

Is the Palestinian Authority (PLO) doing enough or not doing enough to control terrorist activity against Israel by Hamas and other Palestinian extremist groups?

	2002	1999	1998	1996	1995
Is doing enough	1	6	3	9	5
Is not doing enough	98	91	94	82	91
Not sure	1	4	3	9	4

How concerned are you that the United States will pressure Israel to make concessions to the Palestinians in order to keep the Arab countries in the anti-terrorist coalition? Are you very concerned, somewhat concerned, or not concerned at all? (2002)

Very concerned	35
Somewhat concerned	47
Not concerned at all	18
Not sure	0

As compared with one year ago, are you now more optimistic about the chance for a lasting peace between Israel and the Arabs, less optimistic, or do you think the chance for a lasting peace is about the same as it was one year ago?

	2003	2002
More optimistic now	5	2
Less optimistic now	37	49
Same as one year ago	58	49
Not sure	0	0

Do you support or oppose the Israeli government's current handling of relations with Yasir Arafat's Palestinian Authority?

	2003	2002
Support	60	67
Oppose	32	29
Not sure	8	5

WORLD AFFAIRS AND TRANSATLANTIC RELATIONS (2003)

How desirable is it that the United States exerts strong leadership in world affairs? Is it very desirable, somewhat desirable, somewhat undesirable, or very undesirable?

Very desirable	43
Somewhat desirable	44
Somewhat undesirable	8
Very undesirable	3
Not sure	1

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? "When dealing with common problems, the United States and Europe should be more willing to make decisions jointly, even if this means that the United States, as well as Europe, will sometimes have to go along with a policy that is not its first choice."

Agree	75
Disagree	22
Not sure	3

In general, in responding to international crises, do you think the United States should or should not act alone, if it does not have the support of its allies?

Should act alone	37
Should not act alone	60
Not sure	3

Do you believe that the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon reflect the true teachings of Islam?

Yes	19
No	76
Not sure	5

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION & NATIONAL AFFAIRS

In politics, as of today, do you consider yourself a Republican, a Democrat, or an Independent?

	2003	2002
Republican	16	18
Democrat	51	48
Independent	31	32
Not sure	1	2

I'm going to read you a list of political views that people might hold. They are arranged from extremely liberal to extremely conservative. Where would you place yourself on this scale?

	2003	2002
Extremely liberal	4	4
Liberal	19	19
Slightly liberal	17	14
Moderate, middle of the road	33	34
Slightly conservative	13	15
Conservative	12	12
Extremely conservative	2	2
Not sure	1	2

In the 2000 presidential election, did you vote for Al Gore, the Democrat, or for George W. Bush, the Republican?

	2003
Al Gore	66
George W. Bush	24
Other	3
Did not vote	3
Not sure	4

Suppose the next general election for president were being held today and you had to choose between George W. Bush, the Republican, and [ ], the Democrat - - for whom would you vote? (2003)

George W. Bush	29
Wesley Clark	59
Not sure	12

George W. Bush	31
Howard Dean	60
Not sure	9

George W. Bush	31
John Kerry	59
Not sure	10

George W. Bush	31
Richard Gephardt	60
Not sure	9

George W. Bush	24
Joseph Lieberman	71
Not sure	6

In the elections for the House of Representative held on November 5, 2002, did you vote for the Republican candidate or the Democratic candidate?

	2002
Republican	22
Democratic	61
Other candidate (vol.)	2
Did not vote (vol.)	8
Not sure	7

Do you think the number of immigrants from foreign countries who are permitted to come to the United States to live should be increased a lot, increased a little, left the same as it is now, decreased a little, or decreased a lot?

	2003	2002
Increased a lot	4	3
Increased a little	11	9
Left the same as it is now	43	43
Decreased a little	21	21
Decreased a lot	20	22
Not sure	2	2

Which do you think is better for the United States - to encourage immigrants to blend into American culture by giving up some important aspects of their own culture, or to encourage immigrants to maintain their own culture more strongly, even if that means they do not blend in as well?

	2002
Blend in	61
Maintain own culture	31
Both	4
Not sure	4

Do you think that the government should or should not provide taxpayer funds for social service programs run by religious institutions, such as churches or synagogues?

	2003	2002
Should	25	24
Should not	73	73
Not sure	2	3

Do you favor or oppose government aid to parochial or other religious schools?

	2003	2002
Favor	25	22
Oppose	73	76
Not sure	2	2

A federal appeals court has ruled that the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional and cannot be recited in schools because the phrase 'under God' violates the separation of church and state. Do you think the phrase 'under God' should or should not be part of the Pledge of Allegiance? (2003)

Should	66
Should not	31
Not sure	3

In your opinion, how important is it that the United States achieve energy independence? Is it very important, somewhat important, or not important at all?

	2003	2002
Very important	73	71
Somewhat important	24	27
Not important	2	2
Don't Know/Not Application	1	1

What is the best way for the United States to handle its energy needs--by encouraging greater energy production, by encouraging greater energy conservation, or both equally?

	2002
Greater energy production	6
Greater energy conservation	18
Both equally	75
Don't Know/No Answer	1

International Jewish Issues (2002)

D. INTERNATIONAL JEWISH ISSUES

I would like your opinion of some countries today. Is your overall opinion of (INSERT COUNTRY) very favorable, somewhat favorable, neutral, somewhat unfavorable, or very unfavorable? (2002)

I would like you to rate your feelings toward some countries, institutions and people, with one hundred meaning a very warm, favorable feeling, zero meaning a very cold, unfavorable feeling, and fifty meaning not particularly warm or cold. You can use any number from zero to one hundred. How would you rate your feelings toward [ ]. (2003)

		Mean Score (2003)	Very favorable (2002)	Some what favorable (2002)	Neutral (2002)	Somewhat unfavorable (2002)	Very unfavorable (2002)	Not sure (2002)
a.	Iran	27	1	2	11	30	56	0
b.	Australia		50	29	19	1	1	1
c.	Saudi Arabia	29	0	7	18	37	37	1
d.	Germany	45	5	28	39	19	9	1
e.	Jordan	43	4	27	32	27	10	1
f.	Egypt	45	2	23	35	29	10	1
g.	Great Britain	77	57	29	11	2	1	0
h.	Pakistan		1	10	27	37	24	1
i.	Russia	51	3	31	46	17	3	1
j.	France	33	8	22	27	27	15	1
k.	The Vatican	51	6	18	42	22	11	2
l.	Syria	24	1	4	18	32	44	1
m.	Turkey	52	6	28	43	18	4	2
n.	India	55	4	25	47	20	3	1
o.	China	44	1	19	39	29	10	1
p.	Bulgaria		2	10	68	10	3	8
q.	The European Union	54	--	--	--	--	--	--
h.	Poland	56	--	--	--	--	--	--
i.	The Palestinians (Palestinian Authority)	21	--	--	--	--	--	--
j.	Italy	62
k.	Spain	62
i.	South Africa	53

I would like you to rate how various foreign governments feel toward Israel, with one hundred meaning a very warm, favorable feeling, zero meaning a very cold, unfavorable feeling, and fifty meaning not particularly warm or cold. You can use any number from zero to one hundred. How would you rate the government of [ ] in terms of feelings toward Israel? (2003)

a	United States	76
b	Saudi Arabia	22
c	Germany	41
d	Jordan	33
e	Egypt	35
f	Great Britain	65
g	Poland	49
h	Iran	16
i	France	30
j	Syria	16
k	Turkey	45
l	India	47
m	The Vatican	49
n	Italy	54
o	Spain	53
p	Russia	45
q	South Africa	48
r	China	42

Is your opinion of the United Nations very favorable, somewhat favorable, neutral, somewhat unfavorable, or very unfavorable?

	2002
Very favorable	9
Somewhat favorable	34
Neutral	22
Somewhat unfavorable	24
Very unfavorable	11
Not sure	0

Do you agree strongly, agree somewhat, disagree somewhat, or disagree strongly with the following statement: "Germany today is making a sincere effort to deal with the legacy of the Holocaust."

	2002
Agree strongly	13
Agree somewhat	50
Disagree somewhat	24
Disagree strongly	10
Not sure	2

JEWISH IDENTITY

How important would you say being Jewish is in your own life?

	2003	2002
Very important	54	50
Fairly important	34	38
Not very important	12	12

Which one of the following qualities do you consider most important to your Jewish identity?

	2003	2002
Being part of the Jewish people	41	41
Religious observance	16	13
Support for Israel	6	5
A committment to social justice	19	21
Something else	17	18
Not sure	2	2

Do you belong to a synagogue or temple?

	2003	2002
Yes	50	51
No	50	49

Do you think of yourself as . . .

	2003	2002
Orthodox	8	7
Conservative	33	31
Reconstructionist	2	2
Reform	30	30
Just Jewish	28	30

In your opinion, which is a greater threat to Jewish life in the United States today--intermarriage or anti-Semitism?

	2003	2002
Intermarriage	27	31
Anti-Semitism	68	66
Both equally (Vol.)	3	2
Not sure	2	2

Anti-Semitism

Do you think that anti-Semitism in the United States is currently a very serious problem, somewhat of a problem, or not a problem at all?

	2003	2002
Very serious problem	37	29
Somewhat of a problem	60	66
Not a problem at all	3	5
Not sure	0	0

Do you think that anti-Semitism on American college campuses is currently a very serious problem, somewhat of a problem, or not a problem at all?

	2003	2002
Very serious problem	28	23
Somewhat of a problem	54	57
Not a problem at all	11	12
Not sure	8	7

Looking ahead over the next several years, do you think that anti-Semitism in the United States will increase greatly, increase somewhat, remain the same, decrease somewhat, or decrease greatly?

	2003	2002
Increase greatly	10	9
Increase somewhat	39	35
Remain the same	42	46
Decrease somewhat	7	8
Decrease greatly	1	1
Not sure	1	2

In your opinion, what proportion of each of the following groups in the United States is anti-Semitic? most, many, some, very few, or none?

	Most (2003)	Most (2002)	Many (2003)	Many (2002)	Some (2003)	Some (2002)	Very few (2003)	Very few (2002)	None (2003)	None (2002)	Not sure (2003)	Not sure (2002)
Asians	2	2	3	2	41	34	39	46	9	10	6	7
Muslims	28	31	27	26	33	33	8	6	1	1	3	3
Hispanics	3	3	6	4	51	49	29	34	6	5	5	6
Blacks	6	6	15	14	55	56	18	17	4	3	3	4
The Religious Right	20	19	21	20	37	37	14	16	3	3	6	6
Catholics	5	4	9	9	59	57	21	25	3	3	3	4
Mainstream Protestants	4	3	8	8	57	54	24	28	3	3	4	5

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? "Virtually all positions of influence in the United States are open to Jews."

	2002
Agree	56
Disagree	44
Not sure	0

Do you think that anti-Semitism in Europe is currently a very serious problem, somewhat of a problem, or not a problem at all?

	2003	2002
Very serious problem	55	41
Somewhat of a problem	41	53
Not a problem at all	2	3
Not sure	2	3

Do you think that anti-Semitism in the Muslim world is currently a very serious problem, somewhat of a problem, or not a problem at all?

	2003	2002
Very serious problem	77	75
Somewhat of a problem	20	22
Not a problem at all	2	2
Not sure	1	2

Do you think that anti-Semitism at the United Nations is currently a very serious problem, somewhat of a problem, or not a problem at all?

	2002
Very serious problem	29
Somewhat of problem	55
Not a problem at all	13
Not sure	4

Looking ahead over the next several years, do you think that anti-Semitism around the world will increase greatly, increase somewhat, remain the same, decrease somewhat, or decrease greatly?

	2003	2002
Increase greatly	20	13
Increase somewhat	47	42
Remain the same	26	38
Decrease somewhat	4	5
Decrease greatly	1	1
Not sure	2	2

Sources: Center for Cultural Judaism