IN THE COMMUNITY: CURRENT JEWISH POPULATION STUDIES.

The National Jewish Population Study (1970-71) was a landmark study that systematically gathered data from the U.S. Jewish population using survey research techniques. It laid the framework for many of the local studies that have been initiated during the past ten years to describe local Jewish population characteristics in order to support more informed social planning. Since 1975, thirty-nine federated communities have undertaken such studies. While that represents only 20 percent of all federated communities, the studies cover nearly 80 percent of American Jewry. Sixteen of the eighteen Federations in cities with the largest concentrations of Jews have conducted such surveys over the past decade. The proportion of communities undertaking such studies decline with population size, reflecting the fact that smaller communities do not have the resources to conduct or utilize population studies.