Differences in stated attitudes vs. realised friendships among Jews vis-à-vis Arabs in Israel

Previous research has documented differences in majority attitudes towards minority groups. However, there is a lack of research on (1) how attitudes towards minorities differ among majority subgroups, and (2) how attitudinal differences relate to interpersonal relationships between majority and minority members. This article investigates whether Jewish university students from two majority subgroups in Israel–Ashkenazim (European lineage, higher socioeconomic status) and Mizrahim (Middle Eastern descent, historically disadvantaged)–differ in their attitudes towards and friendships with Arab minority members. Prior studies found that Mizrahim exhibit more exclusionary ethnocentric views towards Arabs, whereas Ashkenazim are more liberal and integration oriented. However, whether such attitudinal differences are explained by socioeconomic status and mirrored by friendship patterns remains unclear. We evaluate two explanations for Ashkenazi-Mizrahi differences: the socioeconomic paradigm, linking differences to socioeconomic disparities, and the post-liberal paradigm, attributing them to ethnocultural characteristics. Results refute the socioeconomic explanation and partly support the postliberal paradigm, showing that Mizrahi students exhibit more nationalistic views. However, while Ashkenazi students express greater openness to integration, they do not have more Arab friends. This attitude-behaviour disconnect underscores the importance of recognising majority heterogeneity and examining both cognitive and behavioural dimensions when studying interethnic dynamics.