Community Index

Over the years, the community sector has become an extremely important task, requiring the creation of an active civic culture, in which the public, neighborhood leaders, and professionals from various fields will have the legitimacy to influence decision-making processes.

In line with this trend, the company developed the Community Index for Community Centers - a tool for measuring the "state of the community" in a locality, segmented by subpopulations and directed at decision-makers in the local authority, led by the head of the authority, with the aim of assisting in decision-making and strategic planning processes.

The index was developed with the understanding that it is necessary to examine the manner in which the local authority and the organizations operating within it encourage and increase active community life, resilience, belonging and local pride, connection between populations, and the resident's sense of being able to influence decision-making processes concerning their quality of life, and accordingly plan and implement actions and responses to improve community life.

In recent years, a sample of approximately 74,000 residents aged 18 and over, from 70 local authorities, from all sectors, was measured. Among the localities, 53 urban localities, 17 regional councils (including 292 localities) and 16 community administrations in Jerusalem.

The development of the Community Index began in 2017, through a thorough and in-depth research process, in collaboration with the research firm ERI. The process included the definition of a quick community index, a tool for measuring community, and a digital work interface for analyzing the data and formulating insights.

Within this framework, six dimensions of community were developed:

1. Significant – the extent to which the individual feels valuable and influential in their community

2. Belonging - the extent to which the individual feels that the community is an important part of his identity, feels a sense of connection and pride, and shares a common narrative with his community.

3. Commitment - the degree of willingness and ability of the individual in the community to act for the common good.

4. Trust and reciprocity – the willingness of individuals to support and assist others in the community space regardless of personal acquaintance and without expectation of immediate return, out of faith in the shared norms of community members.

5. Connectedness – the quantity, quality, and diversity of social connections between individuals in the community and the extent to which they are used.

6. Collective action – the willingness and ability to act together in agreement to advance community goals and solve common problems.
   

In 2024, about four months after the events of October 7, a national measurement of the community index was also carried out for the first time among a representative national sample. This measurement provided a picture of the state of community in Israel, shed light on issues related to demographic and social characteristics related to the perception of community in Israel, and established a national benchmark that serves as a reference point for community measurements.