Effects of migration, ethnicity, and religiosity on cohabitation

The study explored the effect of three social factors - immigration, ethnicity and religiosity - on cohabitation and attitudes toward cohabitation, in Israel. Additionally, it examined the linkage between attitudes toward cohabitation and reported cohabiting behavior. Data was based on a national representative sample of 1,180 long-term Israeli residents and 870 immigrants from the Former Soviet Union. Immigration and religiosity were found to impact on behavior and attitudes regarding cohabitation, whereas ethnicity had no such effect. An interaction effect between immigration and ethnicity indicated that ethnicity has a stronger influence on migrant attitudes. Attitudes were found to have a mediating effect on the impact of immigration and religiosity on cohabitation. Explanations for the findings are based on the divergence between the cultural contexts of both countries - Israel and the Former Soviet Union - and on immigration as a stressful life-event for the individual and his family.