In a survey of 1,000 people in Ireland published on Jan. 21, half of all adults surveyed and 54% of those aged 18 to 29 did not know that 6 million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust.
The survey, conducted between Oct. 15 and Nov. 6, 2025, for the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, exposed widespread ignorance about the Holocaust, at a time when many Irish Jews believe expressions of antisemitism are rising in their country and elsewhere in Europe.
Almost 10% of the younger groups of adults surveyed responded that they believed the Holocaust was a myth. Conducted by Global Strategy Group, the survey is based on online questionnaires. Some 88% of respondents said schools should teach the Holocaust.
Among adults under 29, an overwhelming majority (91%) said it was important to continue teaching about the Holocaust, in part so it does not happen again. Among all adults surveyed, the figure was 92% according to the poll, which had a margin of error of 3.1%.
A quarter of adults overall said Holocaust distortion was common in Ireland.
Nearly a fifth of respondents, or 19%, said they believed the Holocaust happened but that the number of Jews killed had been greatly exaggerated. The statement that the Holocaust could happen again was endorsed by 64% of respondents.
One in four of those aged 18 to 29 was not able to name a single concentration camp or ghetto, though 60% of all of those surveyed knew of Auschwitz.
The survey conducted in Ireland is the 16th across 11 countries that have been completed by the Claims Conference.
The chair of the Jewish Representative Council in Ireland, Maurice Cohen, told the RTE broadcaster that the gap in Holocaust education in Ireland is not due to a lack of public will.
The survey showed that the public “overwhelmingly wants Holocaust education. When 64% of Irish people believe another Holocaust could happen, and 50% of young adults are already seeing denial online, this is no longer history. It is a warning,” he said.
The president of the Claims Conference, Gideon Taylor, said the survey “comes at a time when antisemitism, hate crimes against Jews, and Holocaust denial and distortion are on the rise globally. These results in Ireland show both cause for significant concern and, at the same time, a path forward given the overwhelming support for Holocaust education,” said Taylor.
