Attitudes towards mild and severe mental handicap in Israel

Attitudes towards mild and severe mental handicap were examined, as well as whether these attitudes are influenced by social class, sex, religiosity, and order of questionnaire presentation. A second concern was the effect on these attitudes of country of origin, namely Israeli Jews of Western, Yemenite, and Iraqi origin. A random sample of 360 adults completed the Jordan six-dimensional attitude scale on mental handicap. There was a more positive attitude to mild than to severe mental handicap. None of the remaining variables - including country of origin - affected the attitudes.