Duration of Research: 1996-2005

Funding Agency: Minerva Foundation

Researchers: 
Zvi Eisikovits (P.I.) 
Gideon Fishman (P.I.) 
Avi Griefel 
Gustavo S. Mesch 
Zeev Winstok 
Guy Enosh 
Moshe Sherer 
Orit Karnieli-Miller


Project Description:
Since 1996, 7 national surveys that described youth attitudes toward various aspects of life in Israel were conducted. The purpose of the surveys was to describe youth attitudes toward various aspects of the Israeli society and their daily behavior aspirations and expectation, and the changes they went through over the years.

The study population in the first survey has been 10,000 high school students selected randomly using a stratified random sample. However after the first survey the design changed and a national random sample of 1000 adolescents was drawn, 200 from the Arab sector and 800 from the Jewish sector. This sample although much smaller includes youth that has dropped out of school and also questions that were not approved to be asked by the ministry of education were asked in the out of school setting. The sampling strategy was again stratified, proportional and random. Each of the three regions of the country was selected, in each a proportional number of settlements and in each a proportional number of children was selected to represent the population size of the residential area.

The main topics studied were: satisfaction with the functioning of government and the various social institutions. Relations with family, school performance, abuse in school by teachers and peers, victimization, political attitude toward the peace process, patterns of social association, leisure time behavior, help seeking behavior, involvement in delinquency, and future orientation. To the main survey which had fixed questions a specific questionnaire that was designed to study specific issues like internet use, suicidal ideation, violent conduct etc. was added and with the core information and the demographic data produced a rich background for social research.

This project ended in 2005 and scientific publications have been written and published since the late 1990's.


Publications:

Sherer, Moshe & Karnieli-Miller, Orit (2007). "Intentions for Advice and Help Seeking among Jewish and Arab Youth in Israel". Youth and Society, 39(1): 33-53

Grinstein-Weiss Michal, Gideon Fishman and Zvi Eisikovits (2005) "Gender and Ethnic Differences in Formal and Informal Help Seeking Among Israeli Adolescents" (with M.). Journal of Adolescence. 28, 6:7. 65-79.

Winstok Ze'ev., Zvi Eisikovits and Gideon Fishman (2004). "Towards the development of a conflict escalation model: the case of Israeli youth". Journal of Youth and Adolescents. Vol. 33. 283-29.

Sherer Moshe & Karnieli-Miller Orit (2004). Aggression and violence among Jewish and Arab youth in Israel. International Journal of Intercultural Relations,Vol 28, 93-109.

Winstok Zeev Eisikovits Zvi & Karnieli-Miller Orit (2004). "The impact of father-to- mother aggression on the structure and content of adolescents' perceptions of themselves and their parents". Violence Against Women, Vol. 10, 1036-1055.

Mesch, Gustavo S.; Gideon Fishman and Zvi Eisikovits. (2003). "Attitudes supporting Violence and Aggressive Behavior among Adolescents in Israel: The Role of Family and Peers".18:1132-1148. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. (Equal Contribution)

Fishman Gideon, Gustavo Mesch and Zvi Eizikovits,(2001). "Variables Affecting Adolescent Victimization: Findings from a National Youth Survey." Western Criminological Review. 3 (2). [Online]. Available: http://wcr.sonoma.edu/v3n2/fishman.html. (Equal contribution)

Fishman Gideon, Michal Grinstein-Weiss and Gustavo Mesch (2000) "Political Identification of Youth-Delineating Differences between Left and Right in Israel", Journal for Sociology of Education and Socialization (ZSE), Vol. 3, 291-302.

Eusikovits Z., Mesch G.S., Fishman G. (2000), Rechtsextreme Einstellungen und gewalttatiges Verhalten unter Jugendlichen in Israel. in Hans-Peter Kuhn/Harald Uhlendorff/Lothar Krappmann (Hrsg.).Sozialisation zur Mitburgerlichkeit. Leske+ Budrich, Opladen. pp. 289-302 (Name of Article in English:"Right-wing attitudes and Violent Behavior Among Israeli Adolescents"). (Equal contribution)

Duration of Research: 2003-2007

Funding Agency: US-Israel Binational Science Foundation

Researchers:
Gustavo S. Mesch (P.I.)
Ilan Talmud (P.I)
Keith Hampton (P.I.)


Project Description:
The proposed study examines the link between Internet connectedness, sense of community, social capital, empowerment, and political participation in the USA and Israel. We explore how individuals in the USA and Israel sharing knowledge and community information in two distinct locally-based mailing lists, develop a sense of community, in comparison with those who are not users of these Internet community sites. The objectives of this research project are to I) examine the relationship between Internet use and the size and composition of people's social networks, and ii) explore the potential for new information and communication technologies to expand social networks, social capital and community involvement at the local level.

This project proposes a longitudinal survey of the residents of two local communities in Israel (Modiin and Bet Shemesh) and four Boston area neighborhoods. The study examine the role of Internet use on the composition, structure and supportive content of personal and neighborhood social networks. Then we will examine the impact of Internet use on residents' social networks, and their involvement in neighborhood and community activities. We hypothesize that Internet users have larger, more diverse social networks, and that they are more active communicators on and off line. Further, we hypothesize that Internet complements and expands one's networks, rather than reduce it.


Publications:
Mesch, Gustavo (Forthcoming). Online Communities in R. Cnaan and C. Milofsky (eds.). Handbook of Community and Community Organization. New York: Springer Press. (approximate 30 pages).

Mesch, Gustavo S. and Yael Levanon. (2003). "Community Networking and Locally Based Social Ties in Two Suburban Localities". City and Community 2:335-351.

Duration of Research: 2008-2010

Funding Agency: National Insurance Institute of Israel

Researchers:
Roni Strier (P.I.)
Zvi Eisikovits (P.I.)
Eli Buchbinder (P.I.)
Laura Sigad (Research Coordinator)


Scientific Abstract:
The purpose of this study is to describe and analyze the experience of individuals who work (paid employment) and live in poverty in light of contextual variations related to ethnicity, gender and religion. Several dimensions of the poverty experience in Israel are explored, including the ways in which poverty is defined, experienced and justified by different groups. The study will highlight the common coping strategies used by families to face daily difficulties and challenges, examine participants' view of waged employment as a way to break the cycle of poverty and the ways in which families in poverty construct the role of social services as well as state level interventions and assistance in light of the needs of the poor. The study is aimed at developing a grounded theoretical model of 'working poverty' which takes into account the population diversity of individuals who work and live in poverty. The large sample (by qualitative research standards) and the comparative design that covers a variety of sub-populations enables the researchers to account for socio-cultural differences and to give voice to a wide variety of people living in poverty in Israel.

Publications:

  • Strier, R., Eisikovits, Z., Sigad, L., Buchbinder, E. (2015). "Working men's views of poverty: Ethnic perspectives". Men and Masculinities. pp. 1-23. DOI: 10.1177/1097184X15613829.
  • Buchbinder, E., Sigad, L., Strier, R., Eisikovits, Z. (2015) "Working poor Ultra-Orthodox Jewish women and men: Between economic distress and meaningfulness based on faith". Journal of Poverty, 00:1–22 . DOI: 10.1080/10875549.2014.999971.
  • Strier, R., Sigad, L., Eisikovits, Z. Buchbinder, E. (2014). Masculinity, poverty, and work: The multiple constructions of work among working poor men. Journal of Social Policy, 43(2), 331-349.

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