The 2008 President's Conference

The President’s Conference is an annual conference in which the IDI’s Israeli Democracy Index is presented at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem. This Index, part of the Auditing Israeli Democracy project headed by IDI Senior Fellow Professor Asher Arian, provides statistical information that gives a reliable and comprehensive picture on the quality and functioning of democracy, as well as the way it is perceived by the public. Recognizing the importance of a substantive and stable democracy in Israel, the Index is used to identify areas that need to be improved and enhanced in our democratic culture and regime.

This year's Democracy Index shows that only about 60% of the public report that they are interested in politics — representing a drop of some 15 percentage points compared with last year. Fifty-seven percent believe that the services which civil organizations provide are better than those provided by the state but, nevertheless, the majority of the public wishes to receive these services from the state. The findings of the Democracy Index, conducted by the Guttman Center at the Israel Democracy Institute, reveal growing mistrust of government institutions and strong anti-political feelings, together with a demand for the state to improve its functioning and resume its position as the main player in the political-social-economic arena.

View and download previous Democracy Indices (2003 - 2007)