Research funded by the Jim Joseph Foundation, based on multiple years of surveys, suggests that a sizable cohort of students oppose the Jewish state and seek to socially ostracize their peers who disagree with them.
The 65-page report “A Year of Campus Conflict and Growth: An Over-Time Study of the Impact of the Israel-Hamas War on U.S. College Students,” released on Sept. 3, analyzes Jewish students’ experiences on campus in comparison to non-Jewish students. College Pulse, a survey research and analytics company, conducted the surveys, which included hour-long focus group sessions with dozens of students.
The study uses survey responses from the same group of students in April 2022; November and December 2023; and in March and April 2024. It found that one in five non-Jewish respondents did not want to be friends with supporters of Israel. The report also showed recognition of this trend with more than half of Jewish students saying those openly supporting Israel would pay a social price.
“This study, conducted over three years, reveals extraordinary detail about the experience of American college students during a historic period of tensions on campus,” said co-author Eitan Hersh, a political science professor Eitan Hersh at Tufts University and College Pulse.
Hersh said the study’s focus groups “give voice to students from wildly different backgrounds about what they think of Jewish students, Israel, and the protest movements at their schools.”
He added that “the survey analysis shows how differently Jewish and non-Jewish students experienced the last year on campus and hints at what can be expected in the future.”
