Israel – Poll: Majority Oppose Gender-Segregated Bus-Lines

Israel – The vast majority of the Israeli public is opposed to gender-segregated bus-lines, according to a new survey.

Publication of the survey comes on the eve of a High Court hearing that will discuss the recommendations of an inquiry committee into gender segregated buses.

According to the survey, even among haredi Israelis 29 percent are in favor of doing away with or limiting the use of gender segregation.

Among Shas voters 48% supported abolishing or limiting the segregation, while among United Torah Judaism opposition was lower, at 20%.

Meanwhile, among religious Zionists a total of 88% expressed varying degrees of opposition to the use of gender segregation.

The poll was conducted this summer by the Smith Institute from a sample of 1,200 grownups and has a margin of error of 2.9%.

It was ordered by Hiddush, an new cross-denominational initiative for encouraging more religious pluralism.

Rabbi Attorney Uri Regev, Executive Director of Hiddush, said that the survey results were “proof that the majority of the Israeli public thinks that the time has come for a radical solution to the problem of gender segregation on public buses.”

“In the enlightened democratic world Israel is looked upon with shock. It conjures up memories of Rosa Parks who rebelled against racial segregation.”