Gallup Looks at American Jews
CASTELLI, GEORGE GALLUP.JR., AND JIM
Religion is a relatively low priority for American Jews, who lag well behind the general population in congregation membership, worship attendance and the importance they attach to religion in their...
...and Jim Castelli, Macmillan Publishing Company, 1989...
...One way in which this upscale background is reflected is in marital status—Jews are more likely than other Americans to be single...
...Copyright George Gallup, Jr...
...In 1964, 17 percent of American Jews said they had attended religious services in the past week...
...Partly because of a lower birthrate...
...A-full 44 percent of American Jews—compared to 19 percent in the general population—have graduated from college...
...Twenty-seven percent of all Americans, but only 22 percent of Jews, are under 30...
...Jews are one of the most upscale American groups in terms of education and income...
...in 1986, 50 percent were Democrats and 16 percent were Republicans...
...Nine percent of Jews and 8 percent of the general population are widowed...
...64 percent of Jews were Democrats and 9 percent were Republicans...
...Figures are based on 180 interviews with American Jews conducted throughout 1986...
...Adapted from The People s Religion: American Fartti in tne 90 s by George Gallup...
...In terms of political affiliation, Jews continue to be one of the most Democratic groups in the country, although there has been some erosion over the past generation...
...The percentage of Jews living in the South grew from 3 percent in 1966 to 17 percent in 1986—15 percent in the Southeast and 2 percent in the Southwest...
...To some degree, this reflects that "Jewish" represents an ethnic as well as a religious group, and not all ethnic Jews are religious.* In 1986, one Jew in five (21 percent) reported attending synagogue in the week before being interviewed, half the national rate for church attendance (40 percent...
...Sixty-six percent of American Jews have attended college or technical school, up from 44 percent in 1966...
...In 1947, 5 percent of the general population was Jewish...
...This rate has remained fairly stable for a generation...
...35 percent in both groups are over 50...
...JR., AND JIM CASTELLI Comparing American Jews to the General American Population...
...In the general population, 43 percent have attended college or technical school...
...But this figure dropped to 65 percent in 1976 and 56 percent in 1986...
...Gallup Looks at American Jews GEORGE GALLUP...
...48 percent of Jews and 63 percent of all Americans are married...
...While 55 percent of all Americans say religion is "very important," only 30 percent of Jews make this statement...
...in 1976, 56 percent were Democrats and 8 percent Republican...
...Only 44 percent of American Jews say they are members of a synagogue, while 69 percent of the general population cite membership in a church or synagogue...
...In 1966, Judaism was centered almost exclusively in the Northeast, home to 84 percent of American Jews...
...The percentage of American Jews living in the Midwest grew from 6 percent in 1966 to 12 percent in 1986...
...in 1976, the figure was 23 percent...
...This high educational level is reflectedjn income: 17 percent of the general population and 32 percent of Jews have family incomes above $40,000 a year...
...In 1966...
...The Gallup Organization has found that upscale adults tend to remain single longer.] There is no significant difference in divorce rates, with 7 percent of Jews and 6 percent of the general population currently divorced...
...Thirty-eight percent of Jews and 21 percent of the general population are single...
...Religion is a relatively low priority for American Jews, who lag well behind the general population in congregation membership, worship attendance and the importance they attach to religion in their lives...
...Overall, 2 percent of Americans identify themselves as Jewish, the same percentage found since the early 1970s...
...Thirty-four percent of Jews and 31 percent of the general population report that religion is "fairly important...
...One-third of American Jews (35 percent) say that religion is "not very important" in their lives, compared to 14 percent of the general population...
...figures for previous years are based on similar numbers of interviews, with a seven-point margin of error...
...The percentage of Jews living in the West grew from 7 percent in 1966 to 15 percent in 1986, with 12 percent on the Pacific Coast and 3 percent in the Rocky Mountain states...
...American Jews are somewhat older than the general population...
...Jews make up 5 percent of the total population in the East, 2 percent in the West and 1 percent in the South and Midwest...
...One major change in recent decades is the geographic distribution of American Jews...
...Thirty-seven percent of all Americans and 43 percent of Jews are 30-49...
Vol. 15 • June 1990 • No. 3
