THE USE OF ETHNIC LABELS AND THEIR MEANING TO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN ISRAEL WAS INVESTIGATED IN THREE STUDIES. THE FIRST, EMPLOYING SEMANTIC DIFFERENTIAL METHODOLOGY, EXAMINED STEOEOTYPES AT VARIOUS LEVELS OF ABSTRACTION. RESULTS SHOW THAT ISRAELI YOUTHS--(1) EXPERIENCE THEIR ISRAELI SUBIDENTITY AS MORE MEANINGFUL AND FAVORED THAN THEIR JEWISH SUBIDENTITY, (2) IDENTIFY WITH WESTERN-EUROPEAN CONCEPTS, (3) ALTHOUGH PREFERRING WESTERN CONCEPTS, DO NOT DISASSOCIATE THEMSELVES FROM THEIR ORIENTAL LINEAGE AND THEIR OWN COMMUNITY, AND (4) IF RELIGIOUS, IDENTIFY WITH JEWISH COMPONENTS, WHETHER WESTERN OR NOT. THE SECOND STUDY USED INTERVIEWS AND SHORT QUESTIONNAIRES TO INQUIRE INTO ATTITUDINAL IMPLICATIONS AND VALUE ASPECTS OF ETHNIC IDENTITY AMONG PUPILS IN ONE HIGH SCHOOL. IN RELATION TO IDENTITY--(1) PUPILS ARE ORIENTED TOWARD THE INTELLECTUAL GOALS OF THE SECONDARY SCHOOL, (2) TEACHERS AND PUPILS CORRESPOND CLOSELY IN MATTERS OF ETHNIC IDENTITY, (3) INFLUENCES SHAPING IDENTITY ARE THE HOME, TYPES OF SCHOOL MATERIAL, AND TEACHER ATTITUDES, AND (4) ISRAELI SUBIDENTITY IS STRONGER THAN THE JEWISH ONE. THE LAST PAPER, USING DETAILED AND STRUCTURED QUESTIONNAIRES, FOCUSES ON THE COMMUNAL ELEMENTS OF THE ISRAELI-JEWISH IDENTITY. MINORITY GROUP MEMBERS TEND TO BE MORE STRONGLY PREOCCUPIED WITH ETHNIC PROBLEMS AND DISPLAY MORE SOLIDARITY, ALTHOUGH THEY FIND THEIR OWN GROUP LESS ATTRACTIVE. (PS)