61% of israeli men
Executive summary
A 2011 small-scale Tel-Hai Academic College survey reported that 61% of the male students questioned did not consider forcing sex on an acquaintance to be rape, a finding reported by Haaretz [1]; the same reporting noted 41% of women in that poll shared the view and very low recognition that forced sex by a spouse is rape [1]. That headline figure has been repeated in activist and left publications [2], but the original study’s scope, date and sample limitations make it an imperfect measure of present-day, nationwide attitudes in Israel [1].
1. What the 61% actually refers to
The 61% figure comes from a small Tel‑Hai college survey in which over half of the male students polled did not equate forcing sex with an acquaintance to rape, as first reported in Haaretz in January 2011 [1]. The Haaretz article specifies that this was a small-scale study of college students rather than a representative national poll, and it also reported that 41% of the women polled expressed the same view [1]. The story added further details from the survey showing almost no respondents viewed forced sex by a spouse as rape—only 7–8% of either sex said yes in that scenario [1].
2. How the claim has been circulated and amplified
The 61% statistic has been cited beyond Haaretz in partisan and advocacy sources to underline claims of a “rape culture,” with the Marxists.org piece restating that “61 percent of Israeli men do not consider that forcing a woman to have sex constitutes rape” often framing it in a broader argument about systemic misogyny [2]. That repetition demonstrates how an alarming headline from a localized study can be amplified as evidence for wider societal conclusions, but the secondary source does not add methodological detail or new data beyond the original report [2].
3. Contextual data about gender attitudes in Israel
More recent and broader studies on masculinities in Israel document conservative gender norms—such as the view that women shoulder most household labor and that many view traditional masculinity as avoiding displays of weakness—which indicate a gendered social context that can intersect with attitudes toward sexual violence [3]. The Heinrich‑Böll–affiliated brief summarizes survey results about domestic roles and beliefs about feminism in religious populations, noting significant disagreement with feminist claims among certain groups and pervasive traditional role divisions [3]. Those findings are relevant context but do not directly validate or invalidate the 2011 61% figure [3].
4. Limitations, unanswered questions and standards of evidence
The raw 61% number is credible as a report of that specific survey result but is limited: Haaretz describes the study as small-scale and confined to Tel‑Hai students, without publishing full methodology, sampling frame or questionnaire wording in the article excerpt available [1]. Secondary citations reiterate the statistic without methodological transparency [2]. Therefore it is inappropriate to treat 61% as representative of all Israeli men today; the available sources do not provide nationally representative polling, longitudinal tracking, or corroborating official statistics to confirm persistence or change over time [1] [2] [3].
5. Alternate readings and implicit agendas
Different outlets use the finding to support distinct narratives: mainstream reporting (Haaretz) framed it as a troubling social finding from a college survey [1], while ideological outlets repurpose it to argue systemic cultural rot [2]. The Heinrich‑Böll report uses broader survey evidence to discuss gender norms without tying it to the rape‑definition statistic [3]. Each source advances an implicit agenda—alarm about sexual violence, critique of societal patriarchy, or policy advocacy on masculinities—so the 61% claim should be read as one data point filtered through these lenses rather than incontrovertible proof of nationwide opinion [1] [2] [3].