Gallup: Israel one of least religious countries [View all]

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04/21/2015 18:13
By SAM SOKOL

Israel is one of the least religious nations in the world, according to a recent WIN/Gallup poll of residents of 65 countries around the world. According to Gallup, 63 percent of respondents across the globe identified themselves as religious.

While the Middle East was determined to be the most religious region on earth, with 86%of those polled describing themselves as religious, in Israel, 65% “said that they are either not religious or convinced atheists compared to just 30% who say they are religious,” Gallup reported.

Gallup’s findings seem to directly contradict a 2009 study by the Israeli Democracy Institute which found that while religious observance in Israel declined in the decade following the influx of Soviet immigrants at the end of the cold war, it has since risen and there was actually an increase in those who observe Jewish traditions.

More than 60% of respondents in the IDI’s study indicated that “tradition is ‘very important’ or ‘fairly important’ in their choice of a spouse” while 80% affirmed their belief in God, either wholeheartedly or with occasional doubts.

http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Gallup-Israel-one-of-least-religious-countries-398823