New Survey Highlights Immigrant Integration Successes and Ongoing Challenges in Israel

A vast majority of new immigrants to Israel experience a strong sense of belonging to the country, with feelings of home deepening over the years, according to a new survey conducted by the HaBayit organization. Despite this optimism, the poll highlights significant integration hurdles—foremost among them language barriers and the high cost of living—alongside a distinct satisfaction gap across different country-of-origin groups.

Strong Sense of Belonging and Long-Term Integration

According to the findings, 80% of immigrant respondents gave a rating of 4 or 5 out of 5 to the feeling that Israel is their home, yielding an average score of 4.28. Furthermore, 74% stated they would recommend that family members and friends make Aliyah. The data reveals a direct correlation between seniority in the country and the degree of connection: the average score for the feeling of home rises from 4.01 in the initial years after immigration to 4.67 among those who have lived in Israel between 11 and 15 years.

The Russian-Speaking Gap

One of the most prominent findings in the survey concerns disparities among different immigrant communities. While about 90% of respondents in other language groups reported a high sense of home, the figure drops to 73% among Russian-speaking immigrants. The gap widens further regarding willingness to recommend Aliyah to others: only 62% of Russian speakers said they would recommend the move to relatives, compared to about 90% among other immigrant groups.

Community over Institutions

The survey underscores the decisive role of community as an integration engine, often surpassing institutional factors. When asked what helped them feel part of Israeli society, 48% of respondents pointed to community belonging and social ties. By comparison, workplaces and Hebrew proficiency received only 16% each, while children's educational frameworks registered 8%.

"The data shows that most immigrants feel Israel is their home and that this feeling strengthens over the years," said Natanel Rotenberg, co-CEO of HaBayit. "The most significant finding for us is the place of community: nearly half of the respondents noted community and social ties as the primary factor that helped them integrate, far more than any other factor."

Leading Challenges and Mutual Aid

Alongside successful integration, immigrants grapple with complex challenges in Israeli society:

• Language barrier: The primary challenge, cited by 64% of respondents.

• Cost of living: Weighing heavily on 46% of immigrants.

• Employment: 24%.

• Security situation: 24%.

• Loneliness and distance from family: 14%.

Examining 199 open-ended responses to the question of what pleasantly surprised immigrants in Israel, mutual guarantee stood out: 39% noted the kindness and willingness of Israelis—including strangers on the street—to lend a hand and help. 13% pointed to unity during times of crisis, and 12% mentioned the sense of warmth and home.