More than One-Third of Americans Believe Antisemitism is Increasing in the United States, Poll Finds

Additional findings from the latest University of Maryland Critical Issues Poll shed light on Americans’ opinions about antisemitism and their related thoughts on the Israel-Palestine conflict

When asked their opinion of the prevalence of antisemitism in the United States, more than one-third (37%) of respondents to the latest University of Maryland Critical Issues Poll answered that they thought antisemitism was increasing. Just 5% said that it was decreasing; the remaining respondents answered “I don’t know” (32%) or “about the same” (29%). 

Probing further, the June 21-27 poll found that—excluding the roughly one-third of respondents who answered “I don’t know”—84% of respondents said attitudes against Jews constituted antisemitism, and 73% that attitudes against Judaism was antisemitism.

Without providing any definition or introduction, the poll also asked respondents about their impression of Zionism, the movement to establish a Jewish nation in what is now Israel. A majority of respondents said they were either unfamiliar or didn’t know the term. Of those who provided an opinion, a plurality offered neutral opinions, with more respondents holding a negative view than a positive one, especially among Democrats.

“It is not particularly surprising that a lot of Americans are unfamiliar with the meaning of Zionism or were reluctant to offer an opinion,” said Department of Government and Politics Professor Shibly Telhami, the Director of the Critical Issues Poll. “What is notable is that few Americans offer a positive view of Zionism, which may partly explain their preference for Israel's democracy over its Jewishness, when asked to choose.”

An overwhelming majority of respondents (73%) that included 80% of Democrats and 64% of Republicans said they “would favor Israel’s democracy over its Jewishness” if a two-state solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians were not possible. In other words, a majority of respondents said that they would prefer a Democratic Israel that’s no longer Jewish to a Jewish Israel without full citizenship and equality for non-Jews, Telhami mentioned in a Brookings Institution article about these findings. 

“It is notable that the questions about Zionism and antisemitism are new to our University of Maryland Critical Issues Poll, as we have not addressed these issues in past polls, so we do not have a way of assessing change overtime,” Telhami wrote. “We hope to repeat these questions in future polls to assess trends in public attitudes.”

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Published on Wed, Jul 19, 2023 - 2:17PM