Quantifying Inclusion & Online Safety in a Multicultural Society
Data collection period: August 1, 2023 – August 31, 2023
The Israel Internet Association (ISOC-IL) presents a comprehensive study on the characteristics of internet infrastructure, usage, and online safety within Arab society in Israel, authored by Dr. Jonathan Mendels & Dr. Asaf Wiener.
This research is based on a dedicated survey by the Afkar Institute among 714 adults from Israeli Arab society, of whom 477 were surveyed via telephone interview and 237 via online questionnaire (margin of error: ±0.0366). The respondents comprised 366 men and 348 women. Additional variables surveyed included income level, education level, household size, religion, and religiosity level. To ensure a representative sample of the Arab population in Israel, clusters were defined based on four characteristics: gender (evenly split between men and women); geographic distribution; religious group and age.
The current data page presents the main findings of the survey, along with selected data analysis tools, enabling readers to explore the data interactively and view various subsets of the data according to their preferences.
Internet Infrastructure in Arab Society and Demographic Groups: Connection Types, Quality, and Availability of End Devices
The charts below display survey respondents’ answers regarding type of home internet connection and satisfaction with internet and cellular network quality:
Analysis of connection types by geographic area showed a fairly uniform distribution, with two notable outliers: the rate of cellular connection is significantly higher in the Negev compared to all the other geographic regions (42% as opposed to 27% in the Triangle, 20.2% in the Galilee, and 24% in mixed cities). This may be attributed to the fact that many Bedouins in the Negev live in unrecognized villages not connected to basic infrastructure. Meanwhile, in mixed cities, where Arab residents share infrastructure with their Jewish neighbors, fiber-optic connection is notably more common than in other areas, with 17.3% using fiber-optic connections, as compared with 3% in the Triangle, 7% in the Galilee, and 2% in the Negev.
A breakdown by religious groups revealed that Christians and Druze had higher rates of fiber-optic connections (19% and 18.6%, respectively) compared to Muslims (4.3%). An analysis of correlations between variables revealed that higher-income survey respondents were more likely to use fiber-optic connections. Additionally, those with xDSL/cable and fiber optic connections had higher incomes, on average, than those using cellular connections.
The following chart presents survey respondents’ answers about the types of devices available in their homes (desktop computers, laptops, smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, and basic mobile phones):
The findings indicate that the most common device in survey respondents’ homes is a smartphone—93% reported owning one. Additionally, 71% own a laptop, 58% have a smart TV, 41% own a tablet, 27% have a desktop computer, and 11% have a basic mobile phone. A connection was found between both education and laptop ownership and between income levels and laptop ownership—respondents with a high school education or above and above-average incomes were more likely to own laptops. Desktop computer ownership was also linked to income levels—those with desktops had higher incomes than those without. Another link was found between computer ownership (laptops or desktops) and household size—those with computers belonged to larger households compared to those without.
Internet Usage Patterns in Arab Society in Israel and Demographic Groups
The following chart presents survey participants’ answers regarding the motivations or reasons for accessing the internet in the past month (including apps, excluding emails), based on a predefined set of options they were asked to rate:
An analysis of the differences between different religious groups revealed that Christian respondents used the internet more frequently for shopping and consumer activities (60.3%), making payments and paying bills (63.5%), and watching videos (84.1%) compared to Muslim (50.2%, 51.5%, and 62.4%, respectively) and Druze respondents (50.8%, 55.9%, and 59.3%, respectively). Conversely, Muslim respondents reported higher usage rates for browsing news and current affairs websites (69.9%) compared to Christians (58.7%) and Druze (62.2%).
Geographic area also proved to be a significant factor, with respondents from the Negev reporting lower internet usage rates across most categories, particularly compared to respondents from the Galilee and mixed cities. For instance: Negev residents reported lower usage of online banking and financial services (55.7%) than those from the Triangle (68.6%), Galilee (67%), and mixed cities (76%). Social network usage was also lower among Negev respondents (70.5%) compared to those from the Triangle (81.1%), Galilee (81.6%), and mixed cities (84%). Smaller differences were observed in other usage categories. These findings suggest that limited internet infrastructure in the Negev, combined with the demographic and social characteristics of its residents, contributes to lower internet usage rates in most categories compared to other regions in Israel.
In considering the correlations between variables, analysis revealed correlations between education levels and use of the internet for medical information, banking services, bill payments, and online learning. These forms of use increased as a function of respondents’ higher education levels. Additionally, respondents who used the internet for social networking or watching videos and listening to music were found to have lower religiosity levels compared to those who did not use it for these purposes.
The following chart presents respondents’ answers regarding the social networks, apps, and websites they browse/use with very high to medium frequency:
In an analysis of responses by age, it was found that younger individuals use social networks (particularly Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat) more than older individuals. Among respondents aged 18–24, 82.8% reported using Instagram (compared to 28.8% of those aged 65 and older), and 55.6% reported using Snapchat (compared to 20.3% of those aged 65 and older). Only 59.6% of younger survey participants (aged 18–34) reported using Facebook. However, it is worth noting that a fairly high number of respondents aged 65 and older use TikTok, with 49.2% reporting usage of the application.
When analyzed by gender, it was found that more women reported frequent usage of Instagram (71.3% compared to 56.6% of men) and Snapchat (34.8% compared to 28.1% of men). In contrast, more men reported frequent usage of Telegram (24% compared to 18.7% of women) and Twitter (17.5% compared to 10.9% of women).
An analysis of geographic regions indicates that respondents living in the Negev use search engines such as Google (56.8%) less frequently than those living in the Triangle (76.7%), the Galilee (79.5%), or mixed cities (78.7%). This is one of several indicators suggesting that this segment of the Arab population demonstrates lower proficiency in autonomous knowledge-gathering, a critical component of digital literacy, as detailed further in the full-length study.
An analysis of different religious groups revealed that Christian respondents reported higher usage of YouTube and Facebook (79.4% and 74.6%, respectively) than Muslim respondents (69.6% and 63.6%, respectively) and Druze respondents (61% and 59.3%, respectively). Conversely, Christians (84.1%) and Druze (83.1%) reported using search engines more frequently than Muslims (74.7%). A positive correlation was also found between respondents’ education level and their frequency of search engine use, and a negative correlation was found between age and frequency of ChatGPT use—usage frequency increases as age decreases. No other significant differences were observed regarding the use of various digital tools.
Cyber Vulnerabilities and Online Safety in Arab Society
As detailed in the research report and available in the raw data, the study also examined the extent to which the Arab population is exposed to risks and vulnerabilities online. According to the findings, 19% of survey respondents fell victim to phishing scams, 18% were affected by viruses or experienced attempted account breaches, and 12% suffered from impersonation or identity theft online. More than half of the respondents stated that, in the event of harm, they would turn to the Israel Police. Meanwhile, 20% did not know who to contact in the event of harm or claimed they would not report it to any entity.
Demographic Characteristics of Survey Participants
The survey included 714 respondents from the Arab population in Israel (N=714). The survey was administered to 477 of these respondents via telephone interview, and 237 via online questionnaire (margin of error: ±0.0366). The respondents were comprised of 366 men and 348 women. According to the cluster sampling method, respondents were categorized by age, area of residence, and religion, based on the proportional representation of these groups within Arab society. They were also asked about their levels of education, income, religiosity, and the number of individuals living in their household. Respondents who stated that they had no internet connection at all (0.8% of those contacted) were not included in the survey sample.
Area of residence: 52.5% of respondents resided in the Galilee, 22.4% in the Triangle region, 12.2% in the Negev, 10.7% in mixed cities, and 2.2% in other areas (the Golan or Jerusalem Corridor).
Age: 21% of respondents were aged 18–24; 23.3% are aged 25–34; 20.8% are aged 35–44; 16.2% are aged 45–54; 10% are aged 55–64, and 8.2% are aged 65 and above. The average age is 39.
Religion: The majority of respondents (80.1%) were Muslims, 8.8% Christians, 8.2% Druze, and 1.4% chose not to state their religion.
Level of religiosity: Most respondents (52.8 %) defined themselves as traditional. 2.8% defined themselves as not religious at all; 10.1% defined themselves as non-religious; 29.2% identified as religious, and 5.4% identified as very religious.
Education: Most survey participants reported having a high school education or less. 22.6% had a high school education without a matriculation certificate; 31% had a high school education with a matriculation certificate; 10.6% had post-secondary education; 26.1% had an academic degree (Bachelor’s or higher), and 9.9% declined to answer.
Monthly income: Most survey participants reported earning less than the national average salary in Israel (~12,000 NIS monthly). 32.9% of survey participants reported incomes of up to NIS 8,000 per month; 15.8% earned NIS 8,000–10,000 per month; 8.6% earned NIS 10,000–12,000 per month; 10.5% earned NIS 12,000–16,000 per month; 2.1% earned NIS 16,000–18,000 per month, and 4.7% earn over NIS 18,000 per month. 25.8% of survey participants declined to answer.
For further data, explore the additional figures below, which highlight key aspects of the study beyond the above summary. To delve deeper, access the full study here: Quantifying Inclusion & Online Safety in a Multicultural Society: Internet Use and Digital Literacy in Arab Society in Israel.
View the complete raw data here: Internet Use in Arab Society in Israel Data (XLS)