One in five Australians hold anti Jewish views
The study, released by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), places Australia 15th globally for countries with the lowest levels of antisemitic attitudes.
A concerning new global survey claims that 4.2 million Australian adults—approximately 20% of the adult population—harbour antisemitic attitudes.
This is a six per cent increase from a decade ago.
The study, released by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), places Australia 15th globally for countries with the lowest levels of antisemitic attitudes.
However, the findings come amid a documented surge in antisemitic incidents across the country since October 7.
The survey highlighted particularly troubling trends among younger Australians regarding Holocaust awareness and attitudes.
While 61% of Australian respondents believe the Holocaust is described accurately in historical accounts, the figures are significantly lower among younger age groups.
Among those aged 18-49, 18% think the death toll was exaggerated, 9% have never heard of the Holocaust, and 8% believe it was a myth.
The research also found that 57% of Australians view Palestine favourably, compared to 40% who feel the same about Israel.
Perhaps most concerning for the Australian Jewish community is that one in five Australians express favourability toward Hamas, including a third of those aged 18-34 and 39% of those who immigrated to Australia as adults.
Alon Cassuto, CEO of the Zionist Federation of Australia described the survey results as deeply concerning, though not surprising.
“These attitudes are reflected in the lived experiences of the Jewish community and are fuelled by ignorance, weak leadership, the unchecked spread of hate on social media, and a lack of effective education to counter antisemitism,” he said.
Cassuto said the reluctance of Australian leaders to unequivocally reject false accusations of genocide against Israel has undoubtedly contributed to these findings.
“It is essential for leaders to remind Australians that Israel is the Middle East’s only democracy, a nation that shares many of Australia’s values. Israel has been forced into defending itself in a war it neither started nor wanted, against a brutal and genocidal terrorist regime. The survey highlights the urgent need to stand resolutely against hate in all its forms and to strengthen the vital connection between our two nations” Cassuto said.
Cassuto believes the gap reflects a failure of leadership to emphasise the strong, historical bond between Australia and Israel.
Dr. Colin Rubenstein, Executive Director of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council described the figures as “gravely concerning”.
He said the ADL survey is considered the gold standard in global antisemitism research.
“It demonstrates that the constant demonisation of Israel, especially in Australia, is having extremely negative consequences for our local Jewish community. These results are yet more evidence that we are currently facing a serious challenge to the multiculturalism, based on mutual respect and tolerance, that is a cornerstone of our democratic society,” Rubenstein said.
He warns that governments and authorities, including the judiciary and law enforcement, must act strongly and expeditiously to counter this problem.
Globally, the picture is even more alarming.
The ADL’s survey, which interviewed over 58,000 adults across 103 countries and territories, found that 46% of the world’s adult population—an estimated 2.2 billion people—hold deeply entrenched antisemitic attitudes.
This represents more than double the figure from the organisation’s first worldwide survey a decade ago.
Australia is one of the countries with much lower rates of antisemitic attitudes, alongside Western Europe, Scandinavia and North America.
Russia, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Middle East have the worst figures.
“Antisemitism is nothing short of a global emergency, especially in a post-October 7 world,” said Jonathan A. Greenblatt, ADL CEO.
“We are seeing these trends play out from the Middle East to Asia, from Europe to North and South America.”
Marina Rosenberg, ADL Senior Vice President for International Affairs, added that “even in countries with the lowest levels of antisemitic attitudes globally, we’ve seen many antisemitic incidents perpetrated by an emboldened small, vocal and violent minority. This is a wake-up call for collective action.”
The survey was conducted between July 23 and November 13, 2024, using telephone, face-to-face, and online interviews, with a margin of error of ±4.4% for most countries surveyed.
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