The Politics of the (Un)Educated Voter

In politics, an issue can be so fraught with emotion that it sucks the air out of other related topics. Such is the case with the “Draft Exemption” law the government has been (so far unsuccessfully) attempting to pass in the Knesset. Meanwhile, the “other” Haredi issue – many in Israel call this a “travesty” – slides under the radar. In a word: education, or lack of it.

Official Israeli education policy mandates that all elementary schools teach at least the “core” subjects of English, Science and Math – except for Haredi schools that are only required to teach math among these core subjects, and even this for fewer hours per week (3 instead of 4 or 5 for mainstream and “recognized” schools).

If that wasn’t bad enough, the Haredi schools receive about 22% more government payout per student than the mainstream schools (secular, national-religious, or Arab)! In short, the political pressure of the Haredi parties – whether on right-wing or left/center governments – enables them to keep their younger generation completely incompetent to work in the modern economy. (Actually, ironically this is true regarding their sons; the girls’ education is somewhat broader, explaining why and how the percentage of Haredi women in Israel’s workforce is far higher than their Haredi husbands – surely a gender anomaly that’s unique in the modern world!)

If one asks Haredim why they are against learning the core subjects, the answer tends to be “Torah study is all that’s really important.” However, underlying this policy are two related factors that are less mentioned, if at all.

First, religious culture. Learning science can be “dangerous” for the true believer. The world isn’t close to 6,000 years old; it’s been around for 13.7 billion years (the Earth approximately 4.5 billion). Adam and Eve were not created in a day, sui generis (or sui Genesis); rather they “evolved” over eons. Even the “softer” sciences such as archaeology constitute a threat: there is no evidence whatsoever of “Hebrews” being enslaved in Egypt (the Egyptians wrote down everything). For the Haredi, ignorance might not be bliss, but it certainly maintains their lifestyle and belief system.

The second element in this saga is almost never discussed, because it is socially incendiary. At the risk of setting off social media pundits against what I am about to write here, let me emphasize that the following is a statistical generalization – it does not mean that every voter acts in this manner.

In short, the less educated an individual, the more s/he tends to vote for conservative parties. Conversely, the more educated voters are, the more they tend to vote for Left or Liberal parties/candidates.

The 2024 US presidential elections constitute a strong example of this. Of the 15 least educated states, Republicans won 14. On the other pole, we find a mirror image: Democrats carried 14 of the 15 most college educated states! Another way of looking at that election outcome: in the 29 states where under 35% of the citizenry have a B.A. degree, the Republicans won 28 of them; the Democrats were victorious in all 12 states that have 40% or more B.A. holders. Is it any wonder, then, that President Trump is trying to weaken the independence of America’s colleges?

The differentiation, however, is not limited only to college education and politics. Equally significant is the relationship between conservatism and a more negative attitude to science in general. In a major study recently reported, “Liberals were found to have more trust than conservatives in all 35 scientific professions that were examined—not just in fields that align with their priorities, such as climate change or inclusion, but also in areas focused on industry. The gap was particularly large for climate scientists, medical researchers and social scientists.” The reason? “This is likely because findings in these fields often conflict with conservative beliefs, such as a free-market economy or conservative social policies” (https://phys.org/news/2025-04-americans-distrust-science-survey.html).

These two tendencies are true almost everywhere, because of the natural relationship between higher education and the “scientific method,” and of course its results. Higher education teaches critical thinking, skepticism about conventional wisdom, and individualistic thought. None of these acquired cognitive traits are salutary for religious belief that generally demands obedience to received wisdom, among other conservative modes of thought. True, Judaism does have a large element of argumentation. (e.g., the Talmud), but this is within a very well-defined belief structure. Religious Jews can argue with great logical cogitation about whether to eat beans (kitniyot) on Passover; but there’s no discussion as to whether eating leavened bread is forbidden on that holiday.

This is why, of all Israeli political parties, it is the Haredi ones that maintain the highest level of voter loyalty. Their supporters don’t question the leadership – regarding political issues, and for that matter not on any other social issues as well, including (and these days, especially) the prohibition against being drafted into the IDF.

It’s a vicious cycle that’s hard to break. The more voters the Haredi parties can retain, the more political power the latter have, ensuring continued educational ignorance – not to mention greater financing of Torah studies. This is not to suggest that there is no value in studying Torah (actually, the Haredim never study the Torah; it’s all Talmud and commentators after elementary school). However, it is to note that in the Jewish tradition such study has never been something “exclusive.” Indeed, the Talmud goes out of its way to mention the profession of most of its rabbis; only a very, very small handful were not gainfully employed. Unfortunately, that’s another “lesson” not taught in the Haredi educational system.