Study: Jews, Arabs support coexistence

By · May 28, 2008

A majority of Jewish and Arab Israelis support coexistence efforts, a study found.

Seventy-three percent of Jewish citizens and 94 percent of Arab citizens want Israel to be a society in which Arab and Jewish citizens have mutual respect and equal opportunities, according to “Coexistence in Israel: A National Study.”

The study was conducted by lead researcher Todd Pittinsky, a Harvard Kennedy School associate professor and research director of the school’s Center for Public Leadership.

The study also found that 77 percent of Arab citizens would rather live in Israel than in any other country in the world, and that Arab citizens and Jewish citizens both underestimate their communities’ liking of the “other.”

“A growing body of research is showing that it is possible for members of groups who are very different from each other not only to tolerate each other, but to feel positive toward each other despite their differences, even in Israel,” Pittinsky said.

The study, conducted in Hebrew and Arabic, included 1,721 adult citizens of Israel. Researchers at the University of Haifa assisted.