Israeli government stingy towards culture
Central bureau of statistics: 2011 government financed only 18% of culture expenditure, 82% of education
The 2011 total national expenditure for culture, entertainment and sports totaled NIS 43.6 billion 4.9% of the GDP. (A 3.4% rise compared to 2010) . 68% of the expenditure went to theater, films and live performances. Of these 20% were on performing arts and dance. The rest went to purchasing CDS, books and electronic appliances.
In comparison the 2011 national expenditure on education rose by 5.8% to NIS 73.4 billion making up 8.4% of GDP. Culture and education are related fields in terms of their societal function and until a few years ago were even under the jurisdiction of one government ministry. Moreover the education system is one of central consumers of culture.
And yet the national expenditure on education is a lot higher. It seems that the government's participation in the expenditures has a role in creating the gap. According to CBS data in 2011 Israeli households financed 22% percent of the national expenditure on education. The remaining 78% were funded by the government.
In comparison, only 18.3% of the 2011 expenditure on culture came from the government while 81.7% came from the citizens' pockets. All in all Israelis spent NIS 35 billion on culture an NIS 16 billion on education.Still, the overall expenditure on education was double the expenditure on culture and entertainment.
