Latest ADL poll on antisemitism in the UK, France and Germany

The US-based Anti-Defamation League has released the fourth index of antisemitism, which polls attitudes towards Jews globally. In the UK, the major findings include that 10% of the population harbour antisemitic attitudes; a decrease of 2% from figures released in 2015. The methodology looked specifically at antisemitic stereotypes, such as beliefs in Jewish power in politics, media and financial market, and also analysed anti-Muslim sentiment. The polling results revealed specifically looked at beliefs in the UK, Germany and France.

Key findings by the Anti-Defamation League include:

• In the year of a general election, 26% of Brits believe that there has been an increase in antisemitic rhetoric in politics, with 36% concerned about Left-wing antisemitism and 40% concerned about right-wing antisemitism.
• 18% of the British population that harbour antisemitic beliefs in the UK have never met a Jewish person.
• 32% of Brits believe Jews are more loyal to Israel than the UK. This is a fall from 41% who believed that Jews are more loyal to Israel than the UK in 2015.
• 20% of Brits believe Jews still talk too much about what happened to them in the Holocaust, with 29% of people in France believing the same. This is a fall in the UK figures from 26% of the population in 2015.
• 14% of Brits believe people hate Jews because of the way they behave, with 26% believing the same in Germany.
• 4% of the population in the UK, Germany and France believe that Jews are responsible for most of the world’s wars.
• The more religiously observant a person, the more likely they are to be antisemitic, with 15% of people who attend a religious service weekly believing antisemitic views, compared to 7% of people who never attend.
• 13% of people in the UK who hold a negative view of their personal financial situation hold antisemitic views, compared to 8% of those with a positive view of their personal finances.
• In the UK, France and Germany, those who claim that Israel’s actions have a key influence in their opinion about Jews are more likely to hold antisemitic views. In the UK, 24% of respondents said Israel’s action influenced their opinion, with 29% of that group holding antisemitic views. This is compared to 45% of the population who stated that Israel’s actions have no influence on their opinion, with 6% of this group holding antisemitic views.
• 3% of the UK population believe the number of Jews who died during the Holocaust has been exaggerated and the Holocaust is a myth, compared to 8% of the French population.
• 49% of the UK population is concerned about violence against Jews, Jewish symbols and Jewish institutions, compared to 82% of the population who are worried about violence against Muslims and Muslim groups.
• In the UK, France and Germany, people who harbour anti-Muslim views or anti-immigrant views are more likely to harbour antisemitic views.

From the polling results released, it is clear that antisemitic attitudes are less prevalent in the United Kingdom than in Germany or France. It is also clear that antisemitic attitudes are falling in the United Kingdom, based on data from 2015. However, 10% of the population in the UK still harbour some form of antisemitic view, which is unacceptable.

You can read the full report from the Anti-Defamation League here.