Global antisemitism highest in last decade, ADL survey reveals

“Antisemitic tropes and beliefs are becoming alarmingly normalized across societies worldwide,” said Marina Rosenberg, ADL Senior Vice President for International Affairs.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF JANUARY 14, 2025 16:14 Updated: JANUARY 14, 2025 16:16

A pro-Palestinian demonstrator holds a sign, as they take part in a protest against US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to Turkey, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Istanbul, November 4, 2023. (photo credit: MURAD SEZER/REUTERS)

Nearly half of the world's population hold "alarming" antisemitic beliefs, a new poll by the Anti-Defamation League found, which constitutes the highest level of antisemitism since the ADL began tracking trends.

The results of the Global 100 survey - released on Tuesday - showed that 46% of the world's adults hold significant antisemitic views, more than double that of ten years ago.

“Antisemitic tropes and beliefs are becoming alarmingly normalized across societies worldwide,” said Marina Rosenberg, ADL Senior Vice President for International Affairs.

The ADL also found that 20% of respondents had never heard of the Holocaust, and less than half recognized the Holocaust's historical accuracy. The figures were even lower among the 18-34 demographic, a trend which the ADL called "worrying."

The under-35 demographic also demonstrated the highest levels of antisemitism (50%). For example, 40% of those under age 35 believed that “Jews are responsible for most of the world’s wars,” as to 29% of those over 50.

46% of Adults Worldwide Hold Significant Antisemitic Beliefs, ADL Poll Finds (credit: ADL)

Nearly a quarter (23%) of respondents worldwide expressed favorable opinions toward Hamas, which increased to 29% among respondents younger than 35.

“Antisemitism is nothing short of a global emergency, especially in a post-October 7 world. We are seeing these trends play out from the Middle East to Asia, from Europe to North and South America,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, the ADL CEO.

Nevertheless, an "encouraging majority" of respondents globally did recognize that hate towards Jews is a serious problem.

This, according to ADL, held true for most respondents across all seven geographical regions, age groups, education levels, and political orientations.

The ADL recommends that governments implement new interventions, more education, additional safeguards on social media, and new security protocols to prevent antisemitic hate crimes. 

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"This fight requires a whole-of-society approach – including government, civil society and individuals and now is the time to act," said Greenblatt. 

Details of the survey

The Global 100 Index Score - carried out on 58,000 adults from 103 countries - is based on the proportion of respondents who answered “definitely true” or “probably true” to six or more of the 11 negative stereotypes about Jews that were tested. 

In North Africa and the Middle East, 76% believed most of the 11 tropes to be true. 

This number was around half in Asia, Eastern Europe, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

The lowest numbers were in the Americas (24%), Western Europe (17%), and Oceania (20%).

The territories with the highest scores were West Bank and Gaza (97%), Kuwait (97%), and Indonesia (96%), and the lowest were Sweden (5%), Norway (8%), Canada (8%), and the Netherlands (8%).