Public reaction to establishment of community residential facilities for mentally retarded persons in Israel.

Public attitudes and projected behavior associated with the establishment of community residence facilities for mentally retarded persons in Israel and the relationship between them were studied. Attitudes were clustered into two major types: those referring to general images of retarded persons and those relevant to potential interactions between retarded persons and one's own community. A three-phase model in which the effects of general attitudes on behavior are mediated through more specific attitudes was specified and tested.