85% of non-Haredi Jewish Israelis support sanctioning draft dodgers, revoking benefits — poll

Eighty-five percent of non-Haredi Israeli Jews support revoking benefits from and imposing sanctions on ultra-Orthodox draft dodgers, according to a poll conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute last month.

According to the survey, 98.5% of secular Israelis, 86% of traditional non-Orthodox Jews, and 65% of Orthodox Jews support sanctioning Haredim who fail to enlist.

The poll has a sample size of 502 participants, and was conducted between July 13 and 17.

Seventy-two and a half percent of Likud voters and 76.5% of Religious Zionism voters support sanctioning draft dodgers, as do 94% of Blue and White-National Unity voters, 97% of Labor voters, 99% of Yesh Atid voters, and 100% of Meretz and Yisrael Beytenu voters, the poll finds.

In addition, 30% of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party’s non-Haredi voters support sanctions.

Overall, 69% of Jewish Israelis support the immediate application of sanctions, including 86% of secular Jews, 71% of traditional non-Orthodox Jews, and 41% of Orthodox respondents. Religious respondents are significantly more likely to support delayed sanctions.

Of the possible sanctions that Haredi draft dodgers could face, 61.5% of non-Haredi Jews support denying voting rights to draft dodgers, 65% are in favor of withholding driver’s licenses, 71% endorse imposing financial penalties and 73% believe in preventing Haredim from traveling abroad.

More than three-quarters of respondents call for canceling daycare discounts for Haredi draft dodgers, and 75% say they support fully canceling state funding for yeshivas whose students are evaders.

Eighty-two and a half percent believe evaders should be denied academic scholarships and public sector jobs while 85% and 86%, respectively, believe that Haredi evaders should be denied assistance in purchasing homes through state-sponsored housing auctions and discounts on municipal taxes and transportation costs.

Among Likud voters, 52% support revoking evaders’ right to vote, 51.5% support withholding driver’s licenses, and 60% are in favor of financial penalties/fines and preventing them from travelling abroad.

Fifty-five and a half percent of Likud voters are in favor of canceling daycare subsidies and 60.5% believe yeshivas in which such evaders study should not receive taxpayer money. Seventy-three percent believe that Haredim who do not serve should not receive property tax and public transit discounts and 69% are in favor of denying them assistance in purchasing homes via housing auctions.