AJC Surveys on the State of Antisemitism in America Jewish Sample and General US Public Sample Comparisons

Key Findings:

On October 26, 2020, the American Jewish Committee (AJC) issued a report on The State of Antisemitism in America 2020, presenting the findings of two related surveys completed for AJC by SSRS.

(1) a September 2020 survey of 1,010 randomly selected members of the American general public (as part of SSRS's weekly Omnibus Survey) which focused on their views and perceptions on anti-Semitism in America.

This is AJC's first survey of the general public on the subject of antisemitism.

(2) a parallel September-October survey of 1,334 American Jews part of AJC's annual surveys of American Jewish opinion. The survey included questions on pre-election American Jewish preferences for Trump or Biden in the November 3, 2020 presidential election (see the DataBank's 2020 AJC Survey of American Jewish Opinion study page).

In addition to the pre-election questions, the 2020 AJC Survey of American Jewish Opinion also included questions on antisemitic experiences.

The focus on antisemitism in these 2020 surveys follows AJC's 2019 survey of American Jews about antisemitism in the U.S. 

**

The State of Antisemitism in the United States reports include: (1) a summary of general public attitudes and views on antisemitism, (2) a summary of the views and experiences of the Jewish respondents, and (3) a comparison of the views on antisemitism of the U.S. "general public" sample and the Jewish sample.

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

The overriding themes of the AJC analysis and interpretation of the results of the parallel surveys of American Jews and the general public in the United States . "...finds anxiety among American Jews and a disturbing lack of awareness among the general public of the severity of antisemitism in the United States."

• "While 53% of U.S. adults say they are familiar with the term antisemitism and know what it means, nearly half of Americans do not, with 21% saying they have never heard the word and 25% saying that, while they have heard it, they are unsure what it means..."

Familiarity with the term antisemitism is linked to education levels, with 79% of college graduates knowing what it means, compared with 58% of those with some college experience, and just 27% of those with a high school diploma or less education.

• "The AJC surveys found that while nearly nine in ten American Jews (88%) believe antisemitism in the U.S. today is a very serious (37%) or somewhat of a (51%) problem, only 63% of the general population agree, with 19% identifying it as a very serious problem and 43% saying it is somewhat of a problem."

• "Looking back over the past five years, more than four out of every five Jewish respondents (82%) say antisemitism has increased during that period, compared to only 43% of U.S. adults who say so, with 14% of Jews and 39% of U.S. adults saying it has stayed the same."

• "The AJC surveys found a large discrepancy between Jews and the general U.S. population in viewing what constitutes acts of antisemitism...."   For example, "Respondents to both surveys were read three statements related to Israel and asked to indicate it they thought the statement was antisemitic or not."

84% of the Jewish and 55% of the general respondents said the statement “the government only supports Israel because of Jewish money” is antisemitic.

76% of Jews and 50% of U.S. adults said the statement “American Jews are more loyal to Israel than to America” is antisemitic.

• On the other hand, large majorities of both Jewish and non-Jewish Americans agree that statements such as "Israel has no right to exist" -- anti-Zionism - - is a form of hatred of Jews.

American Jewish Respondent Data:

A few additional findings from the U.S. Jewish sample's responses:

• "The number of American Jews who say they have avoided certain places or events out of concern for their safety as Jews increased to one in three (31%) from one in four (25%) in the 2019 AJC survey.

Fifty-five percent of Orthodox, 43% of Conservative, 33% of Reform, 32% of Reconstructionist, and 24% of Secular Jews answered yes in the 2020 survey to taking such preventative measures.

• "Twenty-four percent of American Jews say they have avoided publicly wearing, carrying, or displaying items that might identify them as Jews since the Tree of Life shooting in October 2018."

• "More than one in three American Jews (37%) reported being the target of an antisemitic incident, such as a physical attack or an antisemitic remark online or in person, by mail, or by phone, in the past five years. "

"But, as in 2019, three-fourths of the Jewish respondents who were targeted (76% in 2020, 75% in 2019) did not report the incident.

More than four in ten (43%) Jewish young people between the ages of 18 and 29 say they have either personally experienced antisemitism on a college campus or know someone who has.