In accordance with world trends, computer use in Israel rises every year. In 2011, for example, 72% of the population aged 20 and over in Israel reported using a computer, compared to 58% who reported using one only five years before, in 2006. A similar positive trend was recorded in Jerusalem, although the city lags behind Israel with a substantial gap. Computer use in Jerusalem rose from 51% in 2006, to only 59% in 2011.
Within the Jewish population in Israel, one of the factors that is connected to computer use, is the nature of the religious identity. Computer use rate among the Jewish population in Israel stood at 77% in 2011, but it was lower among ultra-orthodox (58%) and among the religious or traditional-religious (70%), and higher among the secular or non-religious traditional (82%).
In Jerusalem, the three different groups do not show the same trend compared to the country. Use rate among the Jewish population in Jerusalem was lower than in Israel, and stood at 72% in 2011. The datum for the ultra-orthodox use of computer for the same year (63%), though exceptionally high compared to previous years (50% and 46% in 2010 and 2009 respectively), was still the lowest of the three groups, but it was higher than the figure for the ultra-orthodox in Israel (as stated, 58%). The same trend applies also to the religious or traditional-religious in Jerusalem, a higher percentage of whom (74%) reported using the computer compared to Israel. Among the secular or non-religious traditional in Jerusalem the use rate (78%) was the highest of the three groups, but lower than the figure for Israel.
Over recent years, it looks like all religious groups’ computer use is growing, but while two of them show similar figures in Jerusalem and in Israel, the third keeps a steady advantage of Jerusalemites over the rest of the country. These are the religious or traditional-religious in Jerusalem, having a computer use rate higher than that of their likes in Israel by 8%-12% over the last five years (see diagram in which bi-annual averages are used to decrease inaccuracies).
Data Source: the social survey by the central bureau of statistics for appropriate years.
