The 1998 Anti-Semitism Survey was conducted for the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith (ADL) as a joint project by the Marttila Communications Group and the Boston-based opinion research firm of Kiley & Company Inc.

The 1998 survey is the fourth major national survey conducted in the U.S. since 1964 to measure general public attitudes toward the American Jewish community. Previous polls were conducted by ADL in 1964 and 1992, and by the American Jewish Committee in 1981.

• The proportion of Americans holding views about Jews that are unquestionably anti-Semitic has dropped to 12% in 1998, from 20% in 1992.  -- More

• There has been a decline in the level of acceptance of nearly all anti-Jewish stereotypes since 1992.   -- More

• As previous studies have shown, the propensity to hold anti-Jewish stereotypes is concentrated among less educated and older Americans.  -- More


• African-Americans continue to be significantly more likely than white Americans to hold anti-Jewish beliefs. As with whites, education level is the most important factor affecting the attitudes of blacks towards Jews.  -- More
• The most anti-Semitic Americans tend to have less day-to-day contact with Jews than does the rest of the population.  -- More

• There is a high correlation between anti-Semitism and a lack of tolerance on other social issues.  -- More

• Political and economic alienation have only a modest connection to anti-Semitism.  -- More

• The most anti-Semitic Americans have a more negative attitude toward Israel than does the rest of the U.S. public.  -- More