Kfar Saba and Tel Aviv are the leading large cities in Israel in terms of the satisfaction of their residents, while Jerusalem has the highest percentage of those born in the city who remain there, according to figures published today by the Central Bureau of Statistics, based on a 2018 social survey. The reason for Kfar Saba's high ranking is a combination of spacious and green planning, proximity to employment centers, and investment in cleaning by the local authority.
The social survey is a regular annual survey of living conditions and welfare in Israel's 16 largest cities. Last year's survey had 7,450 respondents age 20 or higher, representing 6.5 million people. The subjects covered by the survey included moving between cities, commuting, and satisfaction with the largest cities in Israel.
Of these 16 cities with 100,000 or more residents, the rate of satisfaction with the residential area was highest in Kfar Saba (96%) and Tel Aviv (91%). The lowest rate of satisfaction was in Jerusalem (73%: 87% of the Jews and 49% of the Arabs), and Bat Yam (79%).
At a time when planners are constantly talking about urbanism and density, and the country wants to build more in open spaces, the general public attaches importance to green spaces. 58% are satisfied with the quantity of green spaces, public gardens, and parks in the area in which they reside. The leading cities in the proportion of those satisfied with green spaces are Kfar Saba (84%) and Ramat Gan (77%). The lowest rate of satisfaction was in Jerusalem (37%).
Cleanliness is a very important factor in determining how a resident views the city in which they live. The public is very critical of the local authorities in this matter. Only 56% are satisfied with cleanliness in the area where they reside. The leading cities in satisfaction with cleanliness are Kfar Saba (77%) and Rishon Lezion (65%). Only 37% of Jerusalem residents are satisfied with cleanliness (46% of the Jews and 21% of the Arabs).
The survey shows that two thirds of those age 20 or higher do not live in the city of their birth. There is a very large difference, however, between the Jewish population, 76% of which moved to another city, and the Arab population, only 20% of which left the city of their birth.
It appears that there is a positive correlation between the identification of a city as religious and/or poor and remaining in a person's city of birth. 63% of Jerusalem residents and 46% of all of the Jews living in the city were born in the city. 38% of those age 20 or higher in Bnei Brak are natives of the city, followed by Beersheva (32% of all the adults in the city are natives), Ashkelon (28%), and Haifa (27%).
One quarter of those age 20 or higher have lived in their community for 10 years or more. Ramat Gan is the leader in this aspect; 40% of the adult population in the city has lived in it for at least 10 years, followed by Beit Shemesh (36%) and Tel Aviv (34%).
83% of those age 20 or higher plan to remain in their current city of residents for the next five years, 11% plan to leave, and 6% were undecided. Of the 16 largest cities, the highest proportions of those planning to remain in the city were in Netanya (89%), Jerusalem (88%), and Kfar Saba (87%).
When the survey takers asked those who had moved to a city why they moved to a different city, 36% of them listed a family reason, such as marriage and the birth of children. 24% said that they did it improve their standard of living, 10% said that they wanted to own their own homes, 8% listed a change of job by someone in the household, 4% cited social reasons, 3% studies, and 2% a worsening of their economic situation.
The selection of a place to live depends on the place of work. 42% of those employed work in the same community in which they live. Jerusalem is the leader in this category; 86% of those employed in the city also reside in it.
61% of those employed travel to work in a private or commercial vehicle, including motorcycles. 16% in a bus or a shared taxi, and 7% in transportation organized by their place of work. 8% travel on foot or by bicycle, and 3% by railway.
32% of the respondents travel to work in less than 15 minutes, 26% 15-30 minutes, and 37% more than 30 minutes. 5% have no fixed time for reaching their work. The highest proportion of residents taking more than 30% minutes to get to work is in Rehovot, Ashkelon, and Jerusalem. The highest proportion of employees taking over 30 minutes to get to work is among Jewish residents of Jerusalem (56%).
One third of employees are dissatisfied with the length of time it takes them to get to work. The percentage is particularly high (48%) among those traveling to work on public transportation.
At a time when an attempt is being made to persuade more young couples to live in rental housing, the Central Bureau of Statistics reports that much remains to be done in this sphere. While in general, 88% of those age 20 or higher are satisfied with their home (39% very satisfied and 49% satisfied), people owning their homes are more satisfied than people living in rental facilities (93%, compared with 79%), which probably reflects the difficult conditions in which renters live.