Cultural Patterns in the Choice of Leisure Time Activity Frameworks: A Study of Jewish and Arab Youth in Isreal

The choice of leisure time activities and satisfaction with these choices were compared among two separate cultural groups—164 Jews and 164 Arabs living in urban areas in Northern Israel. Subjects answered a questionnaire covering four categories of activities: organized after-school activities, public-and entertainment-related activities, unorganized outside activities and individual activities in the home. The results indicated significant differences in choices of activity frame-works between the two cultures, and between the sexes. Differences in satisfaction with leisure time activities also occurred across the two cultures where Arabs were in general less satisfied than their Jewish counterparts. The findings were explained according to modern versus traditional life-styles.