If you haven’t already seen it, check out the 2012 Jewish Values Survey, a new national of survey 1,004 Jewish Americans – the first of its kind conducted by a non-Jewish research organization. The survey examines the religious and cultural values that are shaping Jews’ attitudes toward political participation and social action. You can take a look at the full report for a detailed picture, but a few highlights:
- Eight months before the election, Jewish voters are strongly supportive of Barack Obama over a generic Republican candidate.
- More than 4-in-10 (42%) American Jews say that being Jewish is either very important for the most important thing in their lives. Approximately 3-in-10 (29%) say being Jewish is somewhat important, and approximately 3-in-10 (29%) say being Jewish is either not too important or not at all important in their lives.
- American Jews say that good diplomacy rather than military strength is the best way to ensure peace (63% vs. 24% respectively).
- When asked which qualities are most important to their Jewish identity, nearly half of American Jews (46%) cite a commitment to social equality – twice as many as cite support for Israel (20%) or religious observance (17%).
- Nearly two-thirds (64%) of American Jews agree that the government should do more to reduce the gap between the rich and the poor.
To read the entire report, head to our research page.