The Perception of Family in Israel and the United States: Similarities and Differences

Belle Gavriel-Fried*, Guy Shilo

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Social changes in recent years have led to a broadening of the definition of family. The perception of the concept of family among the American public was assessed in 2003 and 2006 by means of the Family Perception Scale, which found that the respondents fell into three clusters, dubbed Exclusionists, Moderates, and Inclusionists. Based on a sample of adult Jewish population in Israel (N = 1,518), this study examined whether these categories could apply to the Israeli public too, and if so, whether the distribution of these clusters were the same as in the United States. The study’s findings confirm that while this classification is well suited to the perception of family in Israel, the distribution of the three clusters differs from that in the United States. These findings may indicate that while global influences promote similar views of family structures, local influences may result in different cluster distribution patterns in each society.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)480-499
Number of pages20
JournalJournal of Family Issues
Volume38
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Mar 2017

Keywords

  • Israel
  • United States
  • family perception

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