Effects of Interethnic Contact on Friendship Choices in the Military

Abstract

In 51 field platoons of the Israeli army, 1,411 soldiers served as subjects in a study designed to examine to what extent interethnic contact influences willingness to accept, as close friends, soldiers from other ethnic groups. The soldiers' friendship choices were obtained on two occasions-one before and the other six weeks after interethnic contact in the army. Results indicate that at the beginning of basic training, soldiers of European ethnic origin (higher-status group) revealed a significant preference for friends from their own group. Soldiers from Middle-Eastern descent (lower-status group) showed no ethnic preference. As a result of the interethnic contact, no significant change was found. However, in some specific contact situations there was a change, primarily among the soldiers of European origin, in the direction of choosing more Middle Eastern friends.