Attitudes Toward Homosexuality Among Jews and Arabs in Israel: An Empirical Study of Cultural and Personal Variables

ABSTRACT The study aimed to investigate the cultural and gender differences in the attitudes of Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs toward homosexuality. A self‐reporting questionnaire was completed by 519 participants. A significant difference was discovered between Jewish and Arab individuals, with those who had prior familiarity with the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community having more favorable attitudes toward LGBT people. Religiosity was found to be the most influential factor in the prediction and was adversely connected with a positive attitude toward LGBT individuals. The implications of the findings were discussed, particularly regarding members of the Arab (especially women) and Jewish (mainly males) communities. These findings suggest that contact effects hold even in culturally contested contexts and that the typical gender pattern in sexual prejudice—with women more accepting than men—may not be universal.