Poll: less than quarter of Australians view attitudes to Jews as positive

Less than a quarter of Australians describe public attitudes towards Jews as positive, while one in five young people report witnessing antisemitic incidents in their area, according to new polling released amid record levels of antisemitism.

The Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) survey of 1000 respondents, conducted between June 27 and July 1, found only 24 per cent of Australians would describe general public attitudes to Jewish people as very positive (nine per cent) or slightly positive (15 per cent).

By contrast, 28 per cent of respondents described attitudes towards Jews as very negative (eight per cent) or slightly negative (20 per cent), while the remainder were neutral or unsure.

The polling revealed particularly concerning trends among younger Australians, with one in five people aged 18 to 34 reporting tchey had witnessed or heard about antisemitic incidents in their local area.

In NSW, the situation was even more severe among youth demographics, with nearly one in four young people reporting local antisemitic incidents. One in five respondents aged 35 to 54 also reported awareness of such incidents.

“Australia used to be thought of as a safe haven for Jews, but that image has unfortunately been shattered over the last two years,” CAM CEO Sacha Roytman Dratwa said.

“Many national and local authorities were left shocked and surprised by this wave of hate and we are working with our partners in Australia to provide strategies and the necessary tools to fight hate and antisemitism.”

The survey comes as Australia experiences an unprecedented wave of antisemitic incidents, including the recent arson attack on the East Melbourne synagogue while around 20 worshippers were inside, and violent pro-Palestinian protests outside Miznon restaurant featuring smashed windows, thrown chairs, and chants of “Death to the IDF!”

However, the polling also revealed potential community support for action against religious intolerance. Forty-three per cent of respondents said local councillors taking action to reduce religiously motivated intolerance would make them more likely to receive their vote, while 42 per cent said it wouldn’t change their vote and five per cent said it would make them less likely to vote for such candidates.

Nearly half of respondents (49 per cent) expect elected officials, mayors, and local leaders to take a firmer stance against manifestations of hate, violence, and religious or ethnic intolerance in their communities.

CAM will hold a local government summit on antisemitism on the Gold Coast in September.