New poll shows over a quarter of young Americans hold antisemitic views

A full 28% of respondents in the 18-29 age group agreed with the statement, ‘Jews have too much power.’

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

A poll of 1,500 US adult citizens between December 2 and 5th showed that over a quarter of people between 18 and 29 hold antisemitic views.

According to the poll by the Economist and British data firm YouGov, over a quarter (27%) of adults over 18 said they believed that “Israel is deliberately trying to wipe out the Palestinian population.”

The poll found that 48% of self-identified liberals believed that Israel was trying to wipe out the Palestinians as well as 40% of people between the ages of 18 to 29. Only 12% of conservatives agreed with this statement.

A full 28% of respondents in the 18-29 age group agreed with the statement, “Jews have too much power.”

The same age demographic, around 33%, advocated a boycott of Israel and its products.

Only 21% of 30-44-year-olds supported an Israel boycott, and just 6% over 65.

About a third  (32%) of the 18-29 year old age group agreed with the statement, “Israel is an apartheid state,” with only 17% in the age group disagreeing.

In the 18-29 year old age group, 20% said that the Holocaust was a myth, with 8% agreeing strongly and an additional 30% neither agreed nor disagreed. Just 47% said they believe the Holocaust was not a myth.

Younger Americans make up the largest number of Holocaust deniers, with nearly triple the average for all age groups, which is 7%.

The number of Holocaust deniers among those over 65 was zero.

In connection with the rise of antisemitism among the younger demographic in America is the rising tide of anti-Israel and anti-Jewish sentiment on US campuses.

During The House Committee on Education and the Workforce’s hearing, titled “Holding Campus Leaders Accountable and Confronting Antisemitism, none of the three presidents–Claudine Gay of Harvard, Elizabeth Magill of Penn, and Sally Kornbluth of MIT  was able to give a definitive answer.

The university presidents said it would depend on the context, if the statements led directly to physical action or if they were directed at an individual rather than a group.

After a furor arose following the university presidents’ refusal to provide direct condemnation of Jewish genocide statements, the University of Pennsylvania President Elizabeth Magill resigned Saturday night.

Trying to quell the controversy, Magill attempted to walk back her statements in a filmed statement days after the hearing.

Despite this, Magill announced her resignation with the statement, “It has been my privilege to serve as President of this remarkable institution. It has been an honor to work with our faculty, students, staff, alumni, and community members to advance Penn’s vital missions.”

She did not address the controversy directly in her resignation.