Poll: 87% of Jewish students fear anti-Israel protests on campus

“This data is a wake-up call demanding urgent action from university leaders,” says head of Jewish advocacy group.

By World Israel News Staff

A new poll of American Jewish college students revealed that the majority of students are seriously concerned by antisemitism on campus, fueled by anti-Israel rhetoric and demonstrations.

The Israel on Campus Coalition (ICC) advocacy group commissioned the poll, which included 650 Jewish college students and 1,000 Jewish adults.

The vast majority (87%) of students said they are worried that anti-Israel protests and pro-BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) petitions are triggering violent attacks and hate crimes targeting Jewish students.

Nearly three-quarters (74%) of students reported that antisemitism is a “serious problem” on campus.

Almost one in three (30%) of students said they had experienced antisemitism, with 29% saying they had witnessed an antisemitic incident on campus.

“This data is a wake-up call demanding urgent action from university leaders,” Jacob Baime, the CEO of ICC, told Jewish News Syndicate. “We hope these findings spur decisive steps to tackle the alarming surge of antisemitism on college campuses, where 75% of students have experienced, witnessed or heard about antisemitic incidents on their campus, and 76% view it as a grave issue.”

Carly Cooperman, CEO of Schoen Cooperman Research, the group which carried out the poll, told JNS that Jewish students and adults were increasingly concerned by antisemitism creeping into American public life.

“Broadly speaking, we found that 80% view antisemitism as a serious problem, and 84% say that it is important for public figures and organizations to denounce antisemitism,” Cooperman said.

“These concerns are validated when we see the findings from Jewish college students as widespread majorities report facing antisemitic hate and violence on campus,” she added.

The heads of major universities in the U.S. have struggled to reign in anti-Israel protests on their campuses, which have often turned violent.

Recently, Columbia University expelled three students from its Barnard College for illegally occupying a campus building during an anti-Israel protest last year.