The Israeli society is extremely complex. The obvious – Jews and Arabs sharing the same land is complicated enough, but underlying this basic division are deeper subgroups. Among Arabs, there are Muslim, Christian, and Druze; there are city dwellers and farmers. Arabs in different regions even speak different dialects of the language. Among Jews, the are very deep divisions between members of various religiousness levels, from ultra-orthodox, that shun many 21st Century components (Internet included), to the extreme secular, that are early adopters of anything new; from those born in the country to those that immigrated into it. Other factor determining social groups among Jews are the ancestors’ country of origin, which can be Eastern European, Middle Eastern, African, American – over 100 countries are represented here in significant numbers.
Any research methodology has to take into consideration the complexity of Israel, and foreign clients need someone to introduce the culture to them. Simply translating a questionnaire into Hebrew and Arabic is not enough – translation should be cultural, not only linguistics.
Results should also be made accessible to the end client. In many cases, not being familiar with the culture may lead to wrong conclusions. For example, certain segments tend to give high scores overall, while others avoid the highest scores. Researchers fluent in these nuances can help the end client navigate to the correct conclusions.
We, in PORI, make a point of maintaining this social complexity within our staff. Adding our experience to this social mix enables us to be your tour guides in Israel.
For more information about this unique society, please browse through our Blog section.
