Research
Research at aChord is conducted with the aim of promoting equal, tolerant and respectful relations between groups in Israel and with neighboring societies. Our research is mainly based on knowledge and insights drawn from social psychology, given that psychological factors like attitudes, feelings, intentions and behavior have a decisive influence on social and political issues. Our studies rely on validated measurement tools that allow us to map and to predict human behavior in different spheres of life. Based on this mapping and on experimental studies, our clients and partners can form recommendations for more effective implementation of programs and interventions on the ground, based on empirical knowledge and implementation experience. Our research projects are varied in subject and methodology, and include public opinion polls, intraorganizational mapping in businesses and third sector organizations, and effectiveness studies on interventions and on messaging in social and political advertising campaigns.
Research services
Message effectiveness
Intraorganizational research
Benchmark studies
Opinion surveys based on social psychology
How does one discern current trends in public opinion regarding social, educational, political and other issues?
Social psychology-based research is designed to identify and map public attitudes, perceptions, feelings and behaviors in various areas. Public opinion surveys provide a basis for promoting policies, raising awareness and creating programs in the field.
Examples of research
Examining the attitudes of Jewish and Arab students toward one another on Israeli campuses
Many Jews and Arabs live in separate spaces, and academia is often the first shared space where they meet. This study investigated what actually takes place in the encounter between Arabs and Jews on campus, in order to understand the role of a shared academic space in shaping the opinions and perceptions of Jewish and Arab citizens toward one another.
This comprehensive study included more than 4,500 Jewish and Arab college and university students and graduates from 12 academic institutions in Israel. The study aided those who commissioned it – the Abraham Initiatives and the Edmond de Rothschild Foundation – as well as senior figures in academia to understand the unique situation of each group, to formulate recommendations for policy in this area and to promote action in academic institutions.
To read the full report: https://bit.ly/3uckvN4
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Index for Shared Society Progress in Youth (ISSPY)
The Index for Shared Society Progress in Youth in Israel identifies the psychological barriers and opportunities for promoting beneficial intergroup relations and partnership among teenagers from the four public educational sectors in the country – the general (secular Jewish) sector, the religious sector, the ultra-Orthodox sector, and the Arab sector. The Index was developed by aChord and is based on the Ideal Graduate Model – Israel Hope.
The Shared Society Index has been measured annually by the aChord team since 2018. The goal is to allow decision makers on various levels – from the national education system to the school teacher – and anyone promoting the improvement of intergroup relations in Israel, to develop and implement programs advancing partnership between the various groups.
Research for a media campaign to advance Israelis of Ethiopian origin
Israelis of Ethiopian origin have long experienced discrimination both from the establishment and from the rest of the population, exclusion from public spaces, discrimination in higher education and employment, and negative stereotyping. They are subject to physical and verbal violence. The research sought to map the barriers to and catalysts for the eradication of racism toward Israelis of Ethiopian origin, including stereotypical perceptions, emotions, motivation for social interaction, and support for anti-racist policy. The findings of the study served the “Olim Beyahad” organization in formulating effective messages for ad campaigns on social media designed to change public opinion regarding Israelis of Ethiopian origin.
Intraorganizational research
How does one conduct an internal diagnosis of an organization that will lead to successful organizational change and will help the organization achieve its goals? Our research at aChord helps organizations identify the psychological barriers stopping them from creating a more inclusive and respectful environment. Such research can provide the basis for effective organizational change.
Examples of research
Diagnosing diversity and inclusion at a startup
To integrate and promote people from groups underrepresented in high tech (women, ultra-Orthodox, Arabs, LGBTQ, people with disabilities), an intraorganizational diagnostic process is necessary in order to locate the main barriers to the recruitment, hiring and promotion of these people. The diagnosis is based on a unique model developed at aChord, the “inclusive organization model.” An extensive diagnostic process, at the initiative of Power in Diversity, is conducted with start-ups, accompanied by the Employment Department at aChord. The intraorganizational studies allows us to map the components of diversity and inclusion at an organization, and the findings serve the Employment Department at aChord to develop intervention programs promoting diversity and inclusion in the organization. We also measure the effectiveness of the various programs to evaluate whether there has been improvement in diversity and inclusion at the organization.
Diagnosing schools to promote education for partnership
This project was a system-wide effort designed to help Israeli secondary schools institutionalize a professional, research-based infrastructure for education for partnership between different groups. We believe that the right school-based infrastructure is crucial for coping with current trends toward growing extremism and fragmentation in Israeli society. This is especially important in order to bring closer secular Jews, national-religious Jews, ultra-Orthodox Jews, and Arabs, who make up the four separate sectors of the nation’s school system.
As part of “Israeli Hope in Education”, initiated by the President of Israel, the Ministry of Education and the Lautman Forum and accompanied by aChord's Education Department, we perform a preliminary diagnosis for schools and provide their administrations with a reliable and up to date picture of their school’s situation at the outset of the working process. The diagnosis helps them create psychological-educational intervention plans, the effectiveness of which is then tested over time.
Message effectiveness
Does your work involve transmitting messages that seek to drive social change? Social psychology-based research is designed to help optimize messaging intended for public consumption via various platforms (social media, mass media channels, billboards, and so on). Drawing on the most current scientific knowledge from social psychology, you can fine-tune your messages after examining their actual impact on the attitudes, perceptions, feelings and behaviors of the intended target audiences.
Example of research
Messages to reduce support for violence between Jews and Arabs
During the escalation of violence between Jews and Arabs in mixed cities during May 2021, we conducted a mapping of the two groups regarding the extent of their support for, and opposition to, the violent events. We also asked respondents from each group to assess the degree of support for and opposition to violence by the other group. The surprising finding was that each group thought the other side much more supportive of violence than they actually were. An even more important finding revealed a highly significant connection between people’s level of support for violence and their perception of the other group’s support for violence. This led to a hypothesis that changing the inaccurate perception about the other side’s support for violence could reduce people’s own support for violence. To test that, we developed an experiment in which we tested a message conveying that most members of the other group oppose violence (as the preliminary mapping had indicated) to see whether it reduced the level of support for violence among respondents exposed to the experimental message, compared with those not exposed. And indeed, we found that the message presenting the other side’s opposition to violence was able to substantially reduce people’s support for violence. This study was conducted for the organization “When did you last see the horizon?”, and it enabled the organization to focus its efforts toward reducing violence between Jews and Arabs during that period and disseminate more accurate messages in the mixed cities.
Effectiveness of interventions
How can one determine whether an organization’s modes of action on the ground are achieving its goals and objectives?
Intervention programs are the sum of all the actions and tools meant to create the desired change on the ground. Studies of their effectiveness are intended to measure and evaluate various such programs and their effectiveness in achieving their goals.
Example of research
Intervention research based on the use of virtual reality tools in the Turkish education system, to promote social cohesion between Syrian and Turkish students
A massive influx of Syrian refugee students into Turkish schools generated numerous tensions between Syrian and Turkish students. Teachers were challenged to cope with the changed atmosphere. This project, carried out for the World Bank, was designed to provide teachers with practical tools to increase the sense of belonging among the students, using virtual reality technology that allows experiencing events from students’ perspectives and practicing classroom situations in a safe virtual environment. This intervention was accompanied by a study involving approximately sixty schools to measure its effectiveness.
Benchmark studies
How can I find out how my organization, school or city ranks compared with others, regarding intergroup relations? On which parameters do I have an advantage, and what changes do I need to make?
aChord’s benchmark studies enable cross-cutting comparison on a given subject, yielding insights about an organization’s place relative to others. These studies help improve the organization’s effectiveness by taking a broad view and accessing practices already proven effective.
Example of research
Urban accessibility index
This study, conducted annually between 2016 to 2020, was designed to examine attitude trends in the general public toward people with disabilities. The goal was to identify the main psychological barriers preventing people with disabilities from integrating into society and to raise awareness of the challenges facing them. Each year the study sampled thousands of residents from 20 selected cities in Israel, and their views were evaluated according to the urban accessibility index developed at aChord. The findings along with the index allowed the assessment of changes over time and shed light on the salient issues requiring attention. This research was conducted for the joint initiative of the Ted Arison Family Trust and The Ruderman Family Foundation, and in partnership with the Commission for People with Disabilities at the Ministry of Justice and Joint Israel.
See the urban accessibility index here: https://www.negishut.co.
Research Staff
Corall Azouri
Leader of training and consultation in psycho-social measurement
