NAZARETH - Almost one-third of Arab households in Israel depend on government support as their main source of income, according to statistics publicized Friday in Nazareth by the Galilee Society. By in comparison, 15-20 percent of government payments go to the Jewish majority and much of those are pension benefits. The Galilee Society, which deals with health and environmental issues within the Arab sector, conducted its current survey in 2004 with the participation 3,270 Arab families. The group's statistics differ from those of the Central Bureau of Statistics in that former includes unrecognized Bedouin villages in the south of the country but not residents of east Jerusalem or the Golan Heights. Younger, poorer and less educated The study revealed that 40 percent of Israeli-Arabs are not connected to the country's electrical grid while 17 percent lack running water. The average Arab household earns NIS 6,737 (USD 1,531) a month – almost half that of a Jewish family. The Arab population is also a younger one, the average age being 19. The average age at which Arab women marry is 20, while men are four years older. Half of all Arab men smoke, but very few Arab women touch the tobacco. Less than one quarter of all Arab women work outside the home as compared to 54.6 percent for Jewish women. While only 19.8 percent of Arabs have their high school diplomas, the overwhelming majority can read and write. However, only one-quarter report reading a book in the last 10 years most stick to newspapers. According to an official at Palestinian Authority's statistics bureau, the numbers for Palestinians are comparable to those of Israeli-Arabs, though the former have lower salaries and twice the unemployment levels.