“Generation hate”: new polling commissioned by CAA shows frightening rates of antisemitism among young people

Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) commissioned King’s College London to survey British adults’ attitudes towards Jews, using YouGov.

The polling has revealed worrying levels of anti-Jewish prejudice among the British public, with particularly frightening rates among young people aged between 18 and 24.

Coming on the eve of Holocaust Memorial Day, the polling raises serious questions about whether lessons about the antisemitism that motivated the Nazis have really been learned by British young adults.

• A quarter of British people over 64 believe that Israel treats the Palestinians like the Nazis treated the Jews. Among 18-24 year olds, it is over a third.
• Almost one fifth of the British public believes that Israel can get away with anything because its supporters control the media. Among 18-24 year olds, it is more than a quarter.
• Compared to the general population (one in twenty), double the proportion of 18-24s (almost one in ten) do not believe that Jewish people are just as loyal to Britain as other British people.
• Compared to the general population, more than double the proportion of 18-24 year olds are not as open to having Jewish friends as they are to having friends from other sections of British society.
• While almost one fifth of the British public believes that Israel and its supporters are a bad influence on our democracy, that rises to over one quarter of 18-24 year olds.
• 7% of Britons do not believe that Israel is right to defend itself against those who want to destroy it. That figure doubles to 14% of 18-24 year olds.
• 14% of British people are not comfortable spending time with people who openly support Israel. Among 18-24 year olds, that figure rises to 21% – more than one fifth of the young population.
• More than one in ten young Britons do not believe that Israel has a right to exist as a homeland for the Jewish people.
• More than one in ten 18-24 year olds believe that Jewish people talk about the Holocaust just to further their political agenda.

Other findings from the survey:

• More than one in ten British people believe that Jewish people chase money more than other people do.
• Only three quarters of British people believe that Jewish people can be trusted just as much as other British people in business.
• More than one in ten Britons believe that, compared to other groups, Jewish people have too much power in the media.

The YouGov survey was designed and analysed by experts at KCL on behalf of CAA.

Total sample size was 2,084 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 8th-11th December 2023 by YouGov plc. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “The rhetoric that we are seeing online, on television and on our streets is radicalising the British public, but it is the rates of antisemitism that we have discovered among 18-24 year olds that are most frightening. This is generation hate.

“On the eve of Holocaust Memorial Day, our country needs an urgent rethink about how we teach about antisemitism. If young people cannot see the relationship between the genocidal antisemitism of the Nazis and the genocidal antisemitism of Hamas, and, worse still, refuse to talk about how our attitudes towards Israel and its supporters are influenced by antisemitic prejudice, then we are clearly not talking about antisemitism properly.

“Our education is failing the next generation, and our society is suffering as a result. It is British Jews who are paying the price.”

Full results

Jewish people can be trusted just as much as other British people in business.

• Strongly agree 42
• Agree 33
• Neither agree nor disagree 21
• Disagree 3
• Strongly disagree 2
• TOTAL AGREE 75
• TOTAL DISAGREE 5

Only three quarters of British people believe that Jewish people can be trusted just as much as other British people in business.

Jewish people are just as loyal to Britain as other British people.    

• Strongly agree 34
• Agree 32
• Neither agree nor disagree 29
• Disagree 3
• Strongly disagree 2
• TOTAL AGREE 66
• TOTAL DISAGREE 5 (rises to 9% among young people, i.e. 18-24)

Compared to the general population (one in twenty), double the proportion of 18-24s (almost one in ten) do not believe that Jewish people are just as loyal to Britain as other British people.

I am just as open to having Jewish friends as I am to having friends from other sections of British society.    

• Strongly agree 56
• Agree 28
• Neither agree nor disagree 13
• Disagree 1
• Strongly disagree 1
• TOTAL AGREE 84
• TOTAL DISAGREE 2 (rises to 5% among young people)

Compared to the general population (2%), more than double the proportion of 18-24 year olds (5%) are not as open to having Jewish friends as they are to having friends from other sections of British society.

Compared to other groups, Jewish people have too much power in the media.

• Strongly agree 4
• Agree 8
• Neither agree nor disagree 42
• Disagree 24
• Strongly disagree 22
• TOTAL AGREE 12 (rises to 16% among young people)
• TOTAL DISAGREE 46

More than one in ten Britons believe that, compared to other groups, Jewish people have too much power in the media.

Jewish people talk about the Holocaust just to further their political agenda.

• Strongly agree 2
• Agree 6
• Neither agree nor disagree 30
• Disagree 29
• Strongly disagree 33
• TOTAL AGREE 8 (rises to 11% among young people)
• TOTAL DISAGREE 62

More than one in ten 18-24 year olds believe that Jewish people talk about the Holocaust just to further their political agenda.

Jewish people chase money more than other people do.    

• Strongly agree 3
• Agree 8
• Neither agree nor disagree 43
• Disagree 21
• Strongly disagree 25
• TOTAL AGREE 11
• TOTAL DISAGREE 46

More than one in ten British people believe that Jewish people chase money more than other people do.

I am comfortable spending time with people who openly support Israel    

• Strongly agree 14
• Agree 24
• Neither agree nor disagree 48
• Disagree 9
• Strongly disagree 5
• TOTAL AGREE 38
• TOTAL DISAGREE 14 (rises to 21% among young people)

14% of British people are not comfortable spending time with people who openly support Israel. Among 18-24 year olds, that figure rises to 21% – more than one fifth of the young population.

Israel has a right to exist as a homeland for the Jewish people    

• Strongly agree 21
• Agree 35
• Neither agree nor disagree 37
• Disagree 4
• Strongly disagree 3
• TOTAL AGREE 56
• TOTAL DISAGREE 7 (rises to 11% among young people)

More than one in ten young Britons do not believe that Israel has a right to exist as a homeland for the Jewish people.

Israel is right to defend itself against those who want to destroy it    

• Strongly agree 20
• Agree 38
• Neither agree nor disagree     34
• Disagree 4
• Strongly disagree 3
• TOTAL AGREE 58
• TOTAL DISAGREE 7 (rises to 14% among young people)

Seven percent of Britons, and fourteen percent of young Britons, do not believe that Israel is right to defend itself against those who want to destroy it.

Israel and its supporters are a bad influence on our democracy    

• Strongly agree 7
• Agree 10
• Neither agree nor disagree 51
• Disagree 21
• Strongly disagree 12
• TOTAL AGREE 17 (rises to 28% among young people)
• TOTAL DISAGREE 33

Over one quarter of young people believe that Israel and its supporters are a bad influence on our democracy, compared to almost one fifth of the wider British public.

Israel can get away with anything because its supporters control the media    

• Strongly agree 6
• Agree 12
• Neither agree nor disagree 45
• Disagree 23
• Strongly disagree 15
• TOTAL AGREE 18 (rises to 26% among young people)
• TOTAL DISAGREE 38

Almost one fifth of the British public believes that Israel can get away with anything because its supporters control the media. Among young people, it is more than a quarter.

Israel treats the Palestinians like the Nazis treated the Jews    

• Strongly agree 12
• Agree 18
• Neither agree nor disagree 43
• Disagree 15
• Strongly disagree 12
• TOTAL AGREE 30 (rises to 34% of young people)
• TOTAL DISAGREE 27

A quarter of British people over 64 believe that Israel treats the Palestinians like the Nazis treated the Jews. Among 18-24 year olds, it is over a third.

Background and Methodology

The twelve statements – which include six relating to Judeophobic antisemitism and six relating to anti-Zionist antisemitism – together comprise the Generalised Antisemitism Scale.

The Generalised Antisemitism Scale was devised by Dr Daniel Allington of King’s College London, Dr David Hirsh of Goldsmiths, and Dr Louise Katz (then) of the University of Derby. The research behind the Generalised Antisemitism Scale has been peer reviewed.

In particular, in developing the Generalised Antisemitism Scale, they were guided by the International Definition of Antisemitism, which Campaign Against Antisemitism, together with other Jewish communal institutions from around the world, has long campaigned to be widely adopted. Further background on the Generalised Antisemitism Scale can be found here.

Our survey of British adults were conducted by YouGov Plc. The surveys were administered online to members of YouGov’s panel of over 1,000,000 British adults who have agreed to take part in surveys. E-mails were sent to adult panellists who fulfilled the requirements of the sample, inviting them to take part in the surveys, and providing a link to the survey. YouGov normally achieves a response rate of between 35% and 50% to surveys however this does vary depending on the subject matter, complexity and length of the questionnaire.

Total sample size was 2,084 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 8th-11th December 2023 by YouGov plc. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).

YouGov ensured that there were no duplicate responses and that all respondents were adults living in Great Britain.

The responding sample was weighted according to age and gender, social grade, political attention level, education, and region, in addition to past voting behaviour, to provide a representative reporting sample. The profile is derived from the Census as well as the mid-year population estimates and Annual Population Survey published by the Office for National Statistics.