Article The Role of Social Distress, Political Affiliation, and Education in Measuring Punitive Attitudes: Israel as a Case Study

The purpose of this study is to examine the different factors that shape and facilitate punitive attitudes among Israeli public. Punitive attitudes were examined in respect to several demographic and environmental variables such as gender, level of religiosity, level of education, political affiliation, and victimization. In addition, social distress in respect to the political climate of the country was taken into consideration to examine the effect of ‘‘historical’ ’ events on results reliability. Using a random selection, a sample of 471 Israeli respondents was examined at two different time periods (Wave I: 2008–2009 and Wave II: 2011). Results of the current study indicate that demographic characteristics as well as social distress are related to the manifestation of punitive attitudes among Israelis, and thus the study demonstrates the different factors that affect public attitudes toward crime and punishment in the Israeli context. Results are discussed in regard to policy, and recommendations are made for future studies. Keywords middle/near east Asia, comparative crime/justice, social constructions of crime/justice