For years, low voter turnout among young Arab citizens in Israel has often been explained away as “apathy,” “despair,” or “alienation.” But a new survey conducted for The Abraham Initiatives by the Afkar Research Institute among Arab young adults aged 18–34 paints a very different picture.

The problem is not that young Arabs are uninterested in politics. The problem is that they expect politics to mean something concrete.

Young Arab voters are looking for clear answers. They want to know what politicians actually intend to do about violence and crime, housing shortages, unemployment, discrimination, and personal security. They are looking for practical plans — not vague rhetoric about “change,” “partnership,” or “hope.”

The survey findings are remarkably consistent on this point.

When respondents were asked what would motivate young people to vote, the leading answer by far was the........

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