This study reports results of a survey of attitudes toward government and public bureaucracy in Israel. The analysis focuses on the ability of citizens to deal competently with Israeli bureaucracy, as reflected both in their attitudes, and in their self-reported behavior. Hypotheses are tested with respect to (a) the sociocultural correlates of attitudinal competence; (b) the effects of actual experience with Israeli public officials; and (c) the consequences of attitudinal competence and of quality of contacts for patterns of coping behavior. The results showed that persons of low education and from countries of the Middle East or North Africa, where bureaucratic norms are poorly institutionalized, are generally less competent than those of high education or from the West. The quality of actual experience with Israeli bureaucracy also proved to be crucial in shaping both attitudes and behavior, especially for the groups less socialized to bureaucracy.