What do Israeli consumers prefer?
Photo: Gadi Kabalo
Israelis: Local products are better
Poll shows that 48% of Israelis would prefer to purchase local products that are more expensive than imports
Israelis prefer locally made products and believe that goods made in Israel
are better than imported goods, according to an Industry, Trade and Employment Ministry poll.
However, despite this preference, Israelis are not always adamant about purchasing local goods, the poll found.
According to the survey, 63% of Israeli consumers believe that buying local products would minimize unemployment in the country, while 87% agree that local goods are better than similar import
In addition, 48% of respondents said they would prefer to purchase a local product even if it was up to 5% more expensive than a similar import. On the other hand, 36% said they would prefer to buy goods produced abroad in that case.
The poll comprised a representative sample of 1,200 respondents and aimed at looking into the potential to change the purchasing habits of Israeli consumers.
Responding to the poll, Industry, Trade and Employment Minister Binyamin Ben Eliezer said: "The Ministry and the Industrialists Union have embarked on a broad campaign aimed at convincing the public that buying local products helps in preventing layoffs. The poll's findings prove that the public recognizes that Israeli products are better."
However, despite the campaign, many government ministries still prefer to purchase foreign goods that are cheaper than local products. Meanwhile, workers' unions and Israel's major companies purchased roughly NIS 2 billion (about $550 million) in imported goods over the Passover holiday.
