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| Proud Israelis |
Israelis are among the happiest people in the world, according to a new international study released this week.
The latest international study suggests that contrary to the conventional view that Israelis love to complain, they are very happy.
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Better Life Index, which rates aspects of quality of life in member countries and affiliates, Israel came in at eighth out of 36 in the category of "satisfaction".
People of member states were asked to rate their overall satisfaction of life on a scale of 0 to 10, with zero being bad and 10 being good, Israelis responded with an average of 7.4, above the OECD average of 6.7.
Israel ranked very high in the life expectancy and good health categories, but in other categories Israel, did not rank so well. Israel came in 28th place in housing and 32nd place in assault rates. 6.5 percent of Israeli respondents claimed to have been the victim of assault in the last 12 months.
“I am a very happy Israeli and former miserable U.S. citizen. I disagree with the opinion that Israel’s housing prices are high. It all depends in which neighborhood you choose to live. Also, wages as compared to the United States is not low. Many people I know earn more per hour in Israel than in the United States, Abraham Cross, 46, a former U.S. resident currently living in Jerusalem, Israel told YourJewishNews.com.
Haifa University sociologist Sammy Smooha, said Israelis tend to take the internal problems and security threats in stride. "Israeli Jews are proud of their country and feel it is the country that they want to live in, so while there a lot of problems, including the cost of living, low wages and safety conditions, they simply do not care," Sammy Smooha told a British newspaper.