A new survey conducted by the Hiddush Association found that 78% of Israelis support gay marriage or same-sex relationships.
The highlight question was: “In your opinion, should couples of the same sex be allowed to marry or register as partners in Israel? (Registration as partners is not marriage but confers rights and obligations similar to marriage).”
Among the participants, 78% answered in favor of gay marriage or same-sex relationships (55% and 23% respectively), while only 22% objected to the idea of gay relationships and/or marriage.
When broken down by level of religiosity, 93% of secular Israelis and 54% of religious people supported gay marriage or partnership.
“The Jewish public has once again made it clear that in matters of religion and state, it is liberal and supports the implementation of the values of the Declaration of Independence, which guarantees freedom of religion and equality,” Hiddush CEO Rabbi Uri Regev responded. “The results show that the public is not in favor of [returning to] the days of stoning same sex couples, but embraces and respects them.”
Another question asked in the survey was: “Assuming that same-sex marriages or partnerships are instituted in Israel, do you think that such couples should enjoy all the rights of a married couple consisting of a man and a woman?”
Some 73% of the participants were in favor of granting full (62%) or most (11%) rights to same-sex couples, and 8% believed some rights should be granted, while 19% were not in favor of granting same-sex couples any rights.
The survey published on Thursday was conducted over the phone. It polled a cross section of 500 Israelis, with an error margin of 4.5%±.Hiddush – For Religious Freedom and Equality advocates for Conservative, the Reconstructionist and the Reform Judaism movements in Israel. Its head, Rabbi Regev, is a long time activist who served as executive director of the Israel Religious Action Center and was a founding member of B'Tselem.