The number of people in the U.S. who harbor extensive prejudice against Jews has doubled since 2019 and reached the highest level in decades, according to a comprehensive study the Anti-Defamation League released on Thursday.
“ADL has been conducting these attitude surveys since the 1960s, and in some respects, this one is the most alarming,” said ADL CEO and National Director Jonathan Greenblatt in a press release.
The survey asked more than 4,000 U.S. adults about anti-Jewish tropes. Twenty percent of respondents—a proportion the equivalent of 52 million persons among the total population—agreed with six or more of the 11 anti-Jewish statements presented to them.
The findings represent a rise of 9 percentage points from the 11% measured in 2019.
Twenty percent of respondents say Jews have “too much power” in the U.S. Twenty-one percent agree with the statement that Jews “don’t care about anyone other than themselves,” and 53% say that Jews will go out of their way to hire other Jews.
“These findings reveal substantial beliefs that Jews are too powerful, selfish and insular,” Greenblatt said.
A high number of those surveyed harbor extremely negative views about Israel and people who support Israel. Eighteen percent say they are uncomfortable spending time with a pro-Israel person. It was also found that younger adults hold significantly more negative sentiments towards Israel and its supporters.
“Those of us on the front lines have expected such results for a while now—and yet the data are still stunning and sobering: There is an alarming increase in antisemitic views and hatred across nearly every metric—at levels unseen for decades,” said Greenblatt. “From Pittsburgh to Charlottesville to the near-daily harassment of Jews in our greatest cities, antisemitic beliefs lead to violence. I hope this survey is a wake-up call to the entire country.”
