[Israel] 54% of public: Dealing with poverty more important than growth

From Globes Online

57% of the public personally knows families whose economic circumstances were once comfortable, but have been in distress in recent years.

54% of the public prefers dealing directly with poverty than speeding up economic growth. 33% believes that growth is more important than dealing with poverty, according to a survey by Brandman Marketing, Research and Consultancy. The survey was conducted among a representative sample of Israel’s Jewish population.

The survey also found that women, residents of southern Israel, mid-range income earners, and religiously observant had a clearer preference for reducing poverty. Men, people aged up to 34, secular, and wealthy people in the center of the country prefer economic growth.

When respondents were asked to pick what they thought were the main causes of poverty from three options, 43% said the economic situation (unemployment, lower incomes, business failure, etc.) was the main cause of poverty; 33% cited cuts in child allowances, welfare payments to single parent families, pensioners, and the handicapped; and 15% said the main cause was poor people themselves, who preferred welfare to work.

The survey found that 57% of the public personally knows families whose economic circumstances were once comfortable, but have been in distress in recent years. 70% of the public made donations to charities in the past ear: 47% donated food or clothing; 36% donated money; and 5% volunteered at a charity, distributing food or clothing, or worked at a soup kitchen.