Most American Jews who have ties to Israel and the Jewish community prefer a victory by the opposition parties in the Knesset elections, according to the October findings of the Jewish People's Voice Index published by the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI).
According to the index, 57% of respondents prefer the current opposition to win the elections, compared to 15% who want the coalition to win. Another 21% believe it is not their place to express a preference regarding the outcome of elections in Israel.
The survey was conducted among American Jews defined by the index as "connected Jews," meaning those with ties to Israel and the Jewish community. Accordingly, the findings reflect the views of the group surveyed and do not necessarily represent all American Jews.
Alongside their political preferences, a large majority of respondents attach particular importance to the Israeli elections. Some 55% described them as especially important elections, while another 23% believe they are the most important elections in the country's history. Overall, 78% of respondents assigned exceptional importance to the elections.
One of the most notable findings of the index concerns the difference between the priorities of American Jews and those of Israeli Jews.
When asked which issue should determine the outcome of the elections, 36% of American Jews chose the question of who would bring greater unity and fewer divisions to Israeli society. Security ranked second, at 23%, followed by the desire to make Israel a more liberal country, at 17%.
Among Israeli Jews, a different picture emerges. Security is the leading issue for 34% of respondents, followed by relations between the government and the judiciary at 17%, and the aspiration for a more liberal country at 14%.
The issue of unity, which tops the list of priorities among American Jews, was selected as the decisive issue by only 13% of Israeli Jews. Conversely, relations between the government and the judiciary, which rank second in Israel, were chosen by just 6% of American respondents.
In both groups, economic issues were assigned relatively low importance as a central consideration in the elections.
Interest in the Israeli elections remains high. Some 35% of respondents reported following election-related news very closely, while another 44% follow it to some extent. These figures are similar to the index's findings in August and September.
Alongside the Israeli elections, the index also examined participants' views ahead of the US congressional midterm elections.
The data show that 55% of respondents intend to vote for Democratic candidates, compared to 31% who plan to support Republican candidates. Another 10% have not yet decided whom they will vote for, while 4% do not intend to vote.
Relations with Israel and issues concerning the Jewish people are expected to play a central role in the voting decisions of survey participants in the American elections.
Some 55% said that issues related to Israel would be a very important factor in deciding whom to vote for in the congressional elections, while another 30% described them as somewhat important.
By contrast, only 14% responded that issues related to Israel were not particularly important or would carry no weight in their voting decisions.
Another section of the index addressed a broader question concerning the place of the State of Israel in the future of the Jewish people.
Some 88% of respondents believe that Israel's existence is essential to the long-term future of the Jewish people, while 8% of respondents in the current index believe that Israel's existence is not essential to that future.
However, significantly greater reservations were recorded among respondents who define themselves as strongly liberal: 23% of them said that the existence of the State of Israel is not essential to the long-term future of the Jewish people.