STRUCTURE OF SECURITY BELIEFS AMONG ISRAELI STUDENTS

This is an explorative study designed to assess the structure of secur ity beliefs among Israeli university students (N = 458). The study emp loyed a combination of openended and closed questions, By and large, t he results support the notion that security beliefs have a multidimens ional basis. Thus, insecurity-inducing situations are differentiated i nto those rooted in the collective experience on the one hand, and tho se related to personal experiences on the other. However, regression a nalyses reveal that it is the latter, rather than the former, that pro duce the highest effect in terms of explained variance. The present st udy suggests that future research into security beliefs should explore their status as a cultural master symbol and the implications thereof . Further research in this direction seems necessary if one accepts th at any future peace settlement in the Middle East will have to take in to account the fears of the Israeli people and alleviate their feeling s of insecurity.