An overwhelming majority of teens who immigrated to Israel say the love the country and would choose to move here had they been given the choice again, a poll undertaken by the Immigrant Absorption Ministry found.
However, one third of respondents said they encountered a humiliating attitude in their interaction with society. In addition, about 13% of teens reported a humiliating or insulting encounter with a member of their school's staff.
The poll was undertaken in 2008 and comprised a representative sample of about 680 teenagers who moved to Israel in the years 1991-2006. The study looked into five immigrant groups: The former Soviet Union, Ethiopia, French-speaking immigrants, English-speaking newcomers, and Spanish-speaking immigrants.
Most teen immigrants, about 90%, say they are satisfied with their absorption and believe they will stay in the country. Overall, about 90% of Ethiopian teens and newcomers from the West declared that they would choose to come to Israel if given the choice today. Among immigrants from the former Soviet Union, the figure stood at 71%.
Another finding showed that Ethiopian and former Soviet immigrants socialize mostly with members of their own immigrant group, while immigrants from Western countries socialize with a more diverse group of friends that also includes Israeli-born teens.
Immigrant Absorption Minister Sofa Landver told Ynet that the poll's data will help in addressing problems faced by immigrant teens.
"The figures drawn from this study, which is the first of its kind in Israel, provide an up-to-date and detailed snapshot of immigrant teens from various countries and their ability or inability to integrate into life here," she said.
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