The attitudes of Israeli youth towards inter-ethnic and intra-ethnic marriage: 1975 and 1990

The research examines the attitudes of 649 Israeli high school seniors with regard to inter-ethnic and intra-ethnic marriage in 1975 and 1990. Gradual but steady increases in the rates of intermarriage over the last decade suggest a lessening of the social distance between the society's major ethnic groups: Sabras (parents born in Israel), Orientals (parents born in Asia or Africa) and Westerners (parents born in America or Europe). On the other hand, a shift in Israel's social ideology - from a melting-pot policy towards a current emphasis on cultural uniqueness and esprit de corps - may signal a reverse in this trend. The findings of the study indicate significant differences between the attitudes of adolescents in 1975 and 1990 to intra- and intermarriage. There is a growing trend towards intramarriage among youth of Oriental and Western origin. In contrast, the second-generation Sabras of today no longer prefer members of their own group, as they did in 1975, but rather tend to favour intermarrige, especially to Westerners.