American Jewish Committee (AJC) is the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people. AJC’s State of Antisemitism in America 2023 Report: Survey of the General Public, conducted by the research company SSRS, is based on interviews with U.S. adults that were conducted from October 17 – October 24, 2023, among a nationally representative sample of 1,223 respondents aged 18 and older via the SSRS Opinion Panel[1]. The margin of error is +/-3.9 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. Find the methodology report here. AJC is a non-partisan organization that neither supports nor endorses candidates for elective office.
*Please note: Most interviews were completed after the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel and open-ended responses to specific questions indicate that current events were top-of-mind for many respondents. It is important to consider this context when reviewing the survey data.
*Please note: certain sums may not total 100% due to rounding[2]. An asterisk (*) indicates a number less than 1%.
1. |
How familiar are you with the term “antisemitism?” |
| Have heard of it and know what it means | 70% | |
| Heard the term, but unsure what it means | ||
| Have never heard of the term | ||
| No answer |
Familiar - 70%
|
2. |
How much of a problem, if at all, do you think antisemitism, that is hostility or prejudice toward Jewish people, is in the United States today? |
| A very serious problem | 34% | |
| Somewhat of a problem | 40% | |
| Not much of a problem | ||
| Not a problem at all | ||
| Not sure | ||
| No answer | ||
A problem - 74%
|
3. |
Over the past five years, do you think that antisemitism in the United States has…? |
| Increased a lot | ||
| Increased somewhat | ||
| Stayed the same | ||
| Decreased a little | ||
| Decreased a lot | ||
| Not sure | ||
| No answer | ||
Increased - 56%
|
4. |
Over the past 12 months, have you personally seen or heard any antisemitic incidents, such as negative remarks or online content about Jewish people, or physical attacks on Jewish people or their religious facilities? |
| Yes, one time | ||
| Yes, more than one time | ||
| No | 61% | |
Yes - 39%
|
5. |
Where did you see these incidents? |
| Online or on social media | 68% | |
| On the street | ||
| In a store | ||
| In public transit | ||
| In your workplace | ||
| At a sporting event | ||
| At a place of worship | ||
| From a community or political leader | ||
| From family or friends | ||
| On a school or college campus | ||
| In the news* | 44% | |
| Other | ||
|
*Respondents were asked to not include news stories reporting on antisemitic incidents. |
|
**Asked of general public participants who have personally seen any antisemitic incidents over the past 12 months. Note: Responses may not sum to 100%, due to multiple answers. |
6a. |
Did you report any of these incidents to the police? |
| Yes | 5% | |
| No | 95% | |
|
*Asked of general public participants who have personally seen antisemitic incidents over the past 12 months. |
6b. |
Did you report any of these incidents to a Jewish organization? |
| Yes | 4% | |
| No | 96% | |
|
*Asked of general public participants who have personally seen antisemitic incidents over the past 12 months. |
6c. |
Did you report any of these incidents to Facebook/ X(Twitter)/ any other social media platforms? |
| Yes | 4% | |
| No | 96% | |
|
*Asked of general public participants who have personally seen antisemitic incidents over the past 12 months. |
6d. |
Did you report any of these incidents to an employer/ company leadership/ boss? |
| Yes | 1% | |
| No | 99% |
|
*Asked of general public participants who have personally seen antisemitic incidents over the past 12 months. |
6e. |
Did you report any of these incidents to a school district/ board/ principal? |
| Yes | * | |
| No | 100% | |
|
*Asked of general public participants who have personally seen antisemitic incidents over the past 12 months. |
6f. |
Did you report any of these incidents to another authority or organization? |
| Yes | 1% | |
| No | 99% |
|
*Asked of general public participants who have personally seen antisemitic incidents over the past 12 months. |
7. |
In your opinion, is antisemitism taken more seriously, less seriously, or is it considered to be the same as other forms of hate and bigotry? |
| More seriously | ||
| Less seriously | 33% | |
| Considered to be the same | 47% | |
| No answer | ||
8. |
Which statement comes closer to your view, even if neither is exactly right? |
| Antisemitism affects society as a whole; everyone is responsible for combating it | 92% | |
| Antisemitism does not affect society as a whole; Jews alone are responsible for combating it | ||
| No answer | ||
9a. |
Have you ever spoken out against antisemitism? |
| Yes | 33% | |
| No | 67% | |
| No answer | ||
9b. |
Some celebrities or influencers post messages on social media speaking out against antisemitism. How likely are you to share one of these posts with your friends or family? |
| Very likely | ||
| Somewhat likely | ||
| Not too likely | ||
| Not at all likely | ||
| I do not use social media | ||
Likely - 35%
|
10a. |
How much did you hear, if anything, about Kanye West (Ye) making a series of comments about Jewish people during interviews and on social media in the Fall of 2022? |
| A lot | ||
| Some | 33% | |
| Not much | ||
| Nothing at all | ||
| No answer | ||
A lot/ some - 50%
|
10b. |
How much did you hear, if anything, about West’s comments leading to real life antisemitic incidents? |
| A lot | ||
| Some | 39% | |
| Not much | 31% | |
| Nothing at all | ||
| No answer | ||
A lot/ some - 46%
|
|
*Asked of those who heard at least some about Kanye West’s comments about Jewish people. |
11. |
How much have you heard, if anything, about Jewish American Heritage Month? |
| A lot | ||
| Some | ||
| Not much | 37% | |
| Nothing at all | 35% | |
| No answer | ||
A lot/ some - 28%
|
12. |
How much have you heard, if anything, about the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism published by the White House in May 2023? |
| A lot | ||
| Some | ||
| Not much | 33% | |
| Nothing at all | 56% | |
| No answer | ||
A lot/ some - 12%
|
13a. |
How important is it to you, if at all, that public schools invest more resources in teaching age-appropriate lessons about the Holocaust for all students? |
| Very important | 51% | |
| Somewhat important | 34% | |
| Not too important | ||
| Not at all important | ||
| No answer | ||
Important - 85%
|
13b. |
How important is it to you, if at all, that statewide studies are conducted to assess how effectively public school districts are teaching the Holocaust? |
| Very important | 45% | |
| Somewhat important | 36% | |
| Not too important | ||
| Not at all important | ||
| No answer | ||
Important - 81%
|
13c. |
How important is it to you, if at all, that state and local governments include contemporary antisemitism in public school curricula? |
| Very important | ||
| Somewhat important | 44% | |
| Not too important | ||
| Not at all important | ||
| No answer | ||
Important - 75%
|
13d. |
How important is it to you, if at all, that state and local governments include Jewish studies within the ethnic studies or history curricula in public schools? |
| Very important | ||
| Somewhat important | 44% | |
| Not too important | ||
| Not at all important | ||
| No answer | ||
Important - 72%
|
14a. |
Do you view the statement “Israel has no right to exist,” as antisemitic or not? |
| Yes, antisemitic | 84% | |
| No, not antisemitic | ||
| No answer | ||
14b. |
Do you view the statement “American Jews stick together more than other Americans,” as antisemitic or not? |
| Yes, antisemitic | 34% | |
| No, not antisemitic | 66% | |
| No answer | ||
14c. |
Do you view the statement “Jews in the United States have too much power,” as antisemitic or not? |
| Yes, antisemitic | 74% | |
| No, not antisemitic | ||
| No answer | ||
15. |
How important is it, if at all, for Jewish communities and other religious and ethnic communities to increase cooperation with each other? |
| Very important | 62% | |
| Somewhat important | ||
| Not too important | ||
| Not at all important | ||
| No answer | ||
Important - 92%
|
16. |
Do you, personally, happen to know someone who is Jewish? |
| Yes, I know someone who is Jewish | 63% | |
| No, I don’t know anyone who is Jewish | 37% | |
| No answer | ||
17. |
How much, if anything, would you say you know about Judaism or the Jewish religion overall? |
| A lot | ||
| Some | 48% | |
| Not much | 35% | |
| Nothing at all | ||
| No answer | ||
A lot/ some - 56%
|
18a. |
How much, if anything, have you heard about the recent terrorist attacks in Israel by Hamas? |
| A lot | 59% | |
| Some | ||
| A little | ||
| Nothing at all | ||
| No answer | ||
Heard about attack - 96%
|
18b. |
Aside from news about the recent terrorist attacks, how closely, if at all, do you typically follow news about Israel? |
| Very closely | ||
| Somewhat closely | ||
| Not too closely | 44% | |
| Not at all closely | ||
| No answer | ||
Closely - 35%
|
19. |
How important is it, if at all, that law enforcement be required to report hate crimes to a federal government database? |
| Very important | 62% | |
| Somewhat important | ||
| Not too important | ||
| Not at all important | ||
| No answer | ||
Important - 91%
|
|
*A hate crime is a crime of prejudice or bigotry that occurs when an offender targets someone because of one or more of their characteristics or religious beliefs. |
|
Currently, law enforcement agencies are not required to report hate crimes to the federal government’s crime reporting database, which tracks detailed information about crimes in the U.S. |
View More:
To see how results from this survey compare to results from The State of Antisemitism in America 2023: AJC's Survey of American Jews, click here.
To see results from The State of Antisemitism in America 2023: AJC’s Survey of American Jews, click here.
[1] Provided by SSRS: SSRS Opinion Panel members are recruited randomly based on nationally representative ABS (Address Based Sample) design (including Hawaii and Alaska). Additionally, we recruit hard-to-reach demographic groups via our Omnibus survey platform. For more information: https://ssrs.com/opinion-panel/.
[2] Comprehensive and precise data available upon request. Contact advocacy@ajc.org.
