SHARE Israel

SHARE-Israel (Hebrew: ישראל-SHARE) is the Israeli component of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe. Israel joined the SHARE framework in late 2004, becoming the first country in the Middle East to initiate systematic study of its aging population in the American Health and Retirement Study (HRS) tradition. SHARE-Israel is implemented by the [http://igdc.huji.ac.il/Home/Home.aspx Israel Gerontological Data Center] (IGDC, Hebrew: [http://igdc.huji.ac.il מרכז הידע לחקר הזדקנות האוכלוסייה בישראל] ), which was founded by the Israeli [http://www.most.gov.il/English/ Ministry of Science, Culture and Sport] and is currently supported by the Israeli [http://www.gimlaim.gov.il Ministry of Pensioners' Affairs] .

The first wave of data collection in SHARE-Israel — carried out in 2005-2006 — encompassed 2,598 respondents aged 50 and over (and their spouses of any age) residing in 1,771 households. Data collection was funded by the US National Institute on Aging, the Israeli [http://www.btl.gov.il/NR/exeres/2130471C-E92B-4194-AC9E-FF8FDDB955BD.htm National Insurance Institute] and the [http://www.gifres.org.il/ German-Israeli Foundation for Scientific Research and Development] . National Institute on Aging has subsequently provided support for the archiving of the data, in collaboration with the National Archive of Computerized Data on Aging (NACDA).

SHARE-Israel provides unique points of reference for international comparison in the study of aging. First is the diversity of the elderly cohort within the State of Israel, which is comprised of: 1) Jewish-Israelis - most of whom immigrated to Israel through 1989, 2) Arab citizens of Israel, and 3) immigrants from the Former Soviet Union after 1989. Second is the distinctive set of conditions that characterize the elderly Israeli population. One such example is the unique life trajectories of many older Israelis who experienced significant and multiple dislocations during their lifetimes, because of war, migrations (many impelled) and economic adversity.

The Israeli survey instrument addresses the major areas covered in SHARE. These include demographic details, physical health, grip strength, walking speed, behavioral risks, cognitive function, mental health, health care, employment and pensions, children, social support, financial transfers, housing, household income, consumption, assets and future expectations. [ Börsch-Supan, A.; Brugiavini, A.; Jürges, H.; Mackenbach, J.; Siegrist, J.; Weber, G. (eds.) (2005): Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe – First Results from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, Mannheim Research Institute for the Economics of Aging, University of Mannheim. ] [ Börsch-Supan, A.; Jürges, H. (eds.) (2005): The Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe - Methodology, Mannheim Research Institute for the Economics of Aging, University of Mannheim. ] In addition, the SHARE-Israel questionnaire includes two domains not yet addressed in SHARE: [ Litwin, H., Sapir, E.V. (2008): [http://www.btl.gov.il/NR/rdonlyres/0786669F-0B6C-4B98-95DF-AC5B28C3A971/0/chap030.pdf The SHARE-Israel Methodology] . Social Security - Journal of Welfare and Social Security Studies, 76, 25-41. [in Hebrew] ]

* Measure of life-long trauma, including exposure to the Holocaust - Respondents are asked to indicate difficult life events that they have experienced and the degree to which they were affected by them. The 17 events in the list range from war and terror related incidents to personal bereavement and distress. A separate inventory chronicles respondents' exposure to the Holocaust.
* Examination of reactions to pension reform, that is, the delay of eligibility for retirement benefits in Israel. This section addresses awareness of the legislated delay in the age of eligibility for retirement pension in Israel (men to age 67 and women to age 64), perceptions about implications of the change in pension age, information regarding personal plans for employment or retirement in light of the change, and sources of income that will be used to bridge the period between retirement and receipt of the pension, if early retirement is indeed contemplated.

SHARE-Israel's first wave shows that the nature of older Israelis and the circumstances in which they live indeed differ across the three major population groups. [ Litwin, H., Sapir, E.V. (in press): Israel: Diversity among population groups ] The diversity among Israeli population groups provides additional points on the scale of social and economic development among the SHARE countries, thus enriching the SHARE "laboratory" as a resource for scientific inquiry into the life circumstances and their changes in an ageing world.

SHARE-Israel is directed by Howard Litwin of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, with assistance from a multidisciplinary team of expert consultants from the United States, Europe and Israel.

References

External links

*SHARE Israel additions to the generic SHARE self-completion questionnaire [http://igdc.huji.ac.il/Static/Share/Israel%20DO%20additions%20website.pdf]
*Ruth Eglash, "Survey: Israeli men over 50 more depressed than Europeans" Jerusalem Post, Nov 13, 2007 [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1192380809255&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull]

SHARE Project Family
*SHARE Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe [http://www.share-project.org]
*SHARELIFE - The Retrospective Survey [http://www.sharelife-project.org]
*COMPARE - Toolbox for Improving the Comparability of Cross-National Survey Data with Applications to SHARE [http://wwww.compare-project.org]
*AMANDA [http://www.amanda-project.org/]
*Co-ordinator of SHARE:
Mannheim Research Institute for the Economics of Aging [http://www.mea.uni-mannheim.de/]

SHARE sister studies:

*U.S. Health and Retirement Study HRS [http://hrsonline.isr.umich.edu/]
*English Longitudinal Study of Aging [http://www.ifs.org.uk/elsa/]