Poll: Jewish Israeli support for separation of religion and state lowest in over a decade

Rossella Tercatin is The Times of Israel's archaeology and religions reporter.

Support among Israelis for separating religion and state has fallen to its lowest point since 2012, according to the 2025 Religion and State Index published by the religious rights organization Hiddush.

Just 57% of respondents said they back the principle, down one point from 2024, three points from 2023, and 11 points from its 2017 peak, when 68% expressed support.

Hiddush has been publishing its yearly Religion and State Index since 2009.

The survey was conducted by the Rafi Smith Polling Institute by telephone on July 31–August 1, 2025, based on a sample of 800 men and women representing the Israeli adult population who identify as Jewish, with an additional oversample of 100 respondents from the religious public (margin of error: ±3.5%).

The poll also finds that 83% of Israel’s Jewish adults support the concept of freedom of religion, a number that has remained largely stable over the years.

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