On the Edge: Voices of Economic Vulnerability in U.S. Jewish Communities aims to lift up the voices of American Jews who are struggling with economic vulnerability now or have struggled with it in the past. The study was conducted by Tulane University and Rosov Consulting and commissioned by the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation as part of its mission to alleviate poverty and support the basic needs of vulnerable populations. It explores key factors contributing to economic vulnerability and its impact on Jewish engagement, well-being, and service needs. Additionally, it analyzes the frameworks and challenges faced by human service professionals in supporting these individuals and identified potential pathways to financial stability for those in precarious circumstances. Lastly, it identifies key strategic opportunities for the Jewish philanthropic sector to address economic vulnerability among American Jews.

The study draws from three sets of data: a nonprobability survey of 1,958 respondents, 175 in-depth interviews, and 38 interviews with human service professionals. Due to the nonprobability sampling approach, data are primarily employed directionally, comparing groups to understand how economic vulnerability affects Jewish engagement, well-being, and access to services. Additionally, the report relies not on single or isolated survey results to draw inferences or conclusions, but rather on consistent directional findings across multiple relationships within the survey data. 

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Key Findings: 

Jews facing economic vulnerability have a diverse range of social, demographic, and cultural characteristics. They span all ages and stages of life, geographic locations, denominational identities, and levels of religiosity.

Among respondents facing economic vulnerability, situational vulnerability (from sudden, unexpected events that disrupt financial stability) is more than twice as prevalent as generational vulnerability (when economic hardship is passed down from one generation to the next) and four times as prevalent as downward mobility (a gradual decline from financial stability into long-term economic distress).

Economic vulnerability frequently coincides with multiple adverse factors, such as the death of a family member, physical and mental health challenges, or job loss. All told, 74% of respondents who are currently or recently vulnerable reported one or more of these events. These factors sometimes initiate and almost always exacerbate financial struggles, making economic stability even more difficult to obtain.

Economic precarity complicates and hinders Jewish communal engagement, especially for households with nontraditional family structures or those that are geographically isolated. High costs of participation in Jewish life, the family-centric nature of Jewish institutions, geographic isolation, and especially stigma and shame intersect with economic vulnerability to increase barriers to communal participation.

Economically vulnerable Jews face heightened challenges to their well-being, with half unable to afford at least one basic need — such as food, medical care, housing, or transportation — over the past five years. 

In addition, 60% of currently or recently vulnerable respondents report just fair or poor conditions in at least one area of well-being, including mental and physical health, family life, and social life. 

Obtaining reliable employment or an educational degree were cited by respondents who faced economic precarity in childhood as by far the two most important long-term factors leading to financial stability in adulthood.

The paper concludes with a discussion of the strategic opportunities for the Jewish philanthropic sector in shaping the communal response to economic precarity by mobilizing its organizational networks, financial resources, and the community’s values and sense of justice.

Three samples are used in this study:

Sample 1: A nonprobability survey of 1,958 Jewish respondents distinguishes among those who, at the time of the survey, were economically vulnerable or had been within the past five years; those who had experienced economic vulnerability earlier in their adult lives or as children; and those who had never experienced economic vulnerability. 

Respondents were recruited from two online survey panels and was fielded from August 16-October 24, 2023. Survey respondents self-identified as Jewish by religion or Jewish for reasons aside from religion such as ethnicity, culture, or family background.

These results are the weighted to align with three different sets of external benchmarks from the 2020 Pew Research Center survey of U.S. Jews. 

Sample 2: In-depth life course interviews conducted with 175 survey respondents who agreed to take part in additional research after completing the survey.

Sample 3: Interviews with 38 human service professionals who work with economically vulnerable Jewish populations.

This study employs a mixed-methods approach that integrates data from an opt-in survey of 1,958 respondents, in-depth interviews with 175 participants, and interviews with 38 human service professionals.

The study defines economic vulnerability as being financially insecure or unstable and measures it primarily through the self-assessments of survey respondents which differs from government-defined poverty thresholds.

The survey uses a nonprobability sampling approach, meaning it cannot estimate the exact prevalence of economic vulnerability in the broader Jewish population. Instead, data are employed directionally, comparing groups to understand how economic vulnerability affects Jewish engagement, well-being, and access to services.

The study does not rely on single survey results but instead draws conclusions from consistent trends across multiple data points.

Appendix A provides additional methodological details, including the study's relationship to events of October 7, 2023, and its aftermath.