Expectation of Life of Kibbutz Members / תוחלת חיים של חברי קיבוץ

This article presents data illustrating that the life expectancy of Kibbutz Members – both men and women - is higher than that of the Jewish population in Israel. A closer inspection of the death rates at various ages reveals that those of Kibbutz women are lower, from age 24 onwards, while those of Kibbutz men are actually higher until age 49; only from age 50 and upwards are the death rates of Kibbutz men lower, yet this to such an extent that the life expectancy of Kibbutz Members (the calculation of which is bases on death rates) surpasses that of Jews in Israel. These findings concerning life expectancy add to and support other research findings which demonstrate that the mental health and wellbeing of Kibbutz members are more positive than those of other populations to which they were compared. The discussion indicates that the central contributors to Kibbutz Members' increased life expectancy arise from their life experiences as Kibbutz Members, the strongest expression of which is to be found in the old-age groups, whether because the quality-of-life factors which contribute to life expectancy are most relevant in old age, and/or because of the accumulative effect of such factors across the living-period in the Kibbutz community.