2021 AJC Surveys State of Antisemitism in America

Key Findings:

Dual 2021 State of Antisemitism in the United States survey results include (1) the general public attitudes and views on antisemitism, (2) the views and experiences of the Jewish respondents, and (3) a comparison of the answers on parallel questions by the U.S. "general public" sample respondents and the Jewish sample respondents.

Divergent Views of Jewish Respondents and U.S. General Public Respondents

Several indicators of the differing perspectives of American Jews and the American public were included in the 2021 report. For example, majorities of both American Jews and the U.S. general public agree that antisemitism is a problem in America, though to differing extents. While 90% of American Jews believe antisemitism is either a very serious problem (40%) or somewhat of a problem (50%), that number drops to 60% among the general public, with 21% saying it is a very serious problem and 39% saying it is somewhat of a problem. 

In 2021, 65% of the general public report being familiar with the term antisemitism, but 18% are unsure of its meaning, and 16% report never having heard the term.

82% of American Jews believe antisemitism has increased over the past five years, compared to 44% of the American general public who agree. 

Avi Mayer, Managing Director of Public Affairs and Senior Spokesperson at AJC, authored an analysis as part of the 2021 research overview.  In his Insights and Analysis section, Mayer notes there is a difference regarding the state of antisemitism between those Americans who say they know someone who is Jewish and those who say they do not. 66% of American adults who know a Jewish person believe antisemitism has gotten worse over the past five years, compared to 49% of American adults who do not know anyone Jewish.

Regarding the spike in attacks on Jews during the Israel-Hamas conflict in May 2021, the AJC report found that American adults were far less likely than American Jews to have heard about violent acts of antisemitism at that time. 

American Jewish Respondent Data

22% of American Jewish respondents in 2021 indicate they have avoided publicly wearing, carrying or displaying things that might identify them as Jewish out of fear of antisemitism in the year preceding the survey. Combining responses from multiple questions, AJC reported that 39% of American Jews report changing their behavior out of fear of antisemitism the last three months.

Antisemitism on Campus

Half of all Jewish survey respondents believe that antisemitism has increased on American college campuses in the five years, with 21% responding it has increased a lot and 29% saying it has increased somewhat. 

61% of American Jewish respondents identified antisemitism from the far right as a problem for Jewish college students, 54% said anti-Israel campaigns, such as the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) Movement, are a problem for Jewish college students, and 44% said antisemitism from the far left is a problem for Jewish college students.

Demographics  

According to Avi Mayer’s analysis, older Americans are more likely than younger Americans to say that antisemitism is a problem, with 70% of those aged 65 or older saying it is a problem compared to 52% of those between the ages of 18 and 35.

While 54% of Americans aged 65 or older believe antisemitism has increased over the past five years, 31% of those between the ages of 18 and 35 believe this. 

Israel and Antisemitism

Avi Mayer notes in his analysis that Americans—both Jewish and non-Jewish—overwhelmingly view the statement “Israel has no right to exist” as antisemitic. 81% of American Jews and 85% of the general public said the statement “Israel has no right to exist” is antisemitic, a significant increase compared to 2020 results, when 74% of Americans said the statement was antisemitic.

Israel and Political Identities

Most American Jews approve of how President Biden is responding to antisemitism in the United States, with 53% saying they either strongly (17%) or somewhat (36%) approve. 

Regarding the sources of antisemitism in America, 91% of American Jews say the extreme political right represents an antisemitic threat in the United States. 86% say extremism in the name of Islam represents an antisemitic threat, and 71% say the extreme political left constitutes an antisemitic threat in the United States. This represents a significant ten-point jump compared to the 61% who identified the far left as an antisemitic threat in 2020. Finally, 72% say individuals from racial and ethnic minority groups represent an antisemitic threat.