46% of Adults Worldwide Hold Significant Antisemitic Beliefs, ADL Poll Finds

The survey shows that anti-Jewish sentiments are at an all-time high globally, revealing areas where governments must take action to tackle antisemitic hate.

New York, NY, January 14, 2025 ... Nearly half of all people worldwide hold elevated levels of antisemitic attitudes, according to the latest Global 100 survey conducted by ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) and coordinated with Ipsos and other research partners. The survey found that 46 percent of the world’s adult population – an estimated 2.2 billion people – harbor deeply entrenched antisemitic attitudes, more than double compared to ADL’s first worldwide survey a decade ago and the highest level on record since ADL started tracking these trends globally.

First launched in 2014, the ADL Global 100 remains the world’s most extensive study of antisemitic attitudes globally. For the latest survey, over 58,000 adults from 103 countries and territories were surveyed, representing 94 percent of the global adult population.

The survey also found that 20 percent of respondents worldwide have not heard about the Holocaust. Less than half (48 percent) recognize the Holocaust’s historical accuracy, which falls to 39 percent among 18- to 34-year-olds, highlighting a worrying demographic trend. Respondents younger than 35 also have elevated levels of antisemitic sentiments (50 percent), 13 percentage points higher than respondents over 50.

Despite the alarming findings about antisemitic attitudes and Holocaust awareness, Global 100 data highlights areas where governments can take action to begin to reverse these trends. Governments can count on the support of an encouraging majority (57%) of respondents globally who recognize that hate towards Jews is a serious problem in the world. This also holds true for a majority of respondents across all seven geographical regions, age groups, education levels, and political orientations.

“Antisemitism is nothing short of a global emergency, especially in a post-October 7 world. We are seeing these trends play out from the Middle East to Asia, from Europe to North and South America,” said Jonathan A. Greenblatt, ADL CEO. “Negative attitudes towards Jews are an important pillar that ADL uses to assess overall levels of antisemitism within a country, and our findings are deeply alarming. It’s clear that we need new government interventions, more education, additional safeguards on social media, and new security protocols to prevent antisemitic hate crimes. This fight requires a whole-of-society approach – including government, civil society and individuals and now is the time to act.”

The Global 100 Index Score represents the percentage of respondents who answered “definitely true” or “probably true” to six or more of the 11 negative stereotypes about Jews that were tested. Three quarters (76%) of respondents in the Middle East and North Africa believe most of the 11 tropes to be true. Around half of the respondents in Asia (51%), Eastern Europe (49%), and Sub-Saharan Africa (45%) harbor high levels of antisemitic attitudes. The Americas (24%), Western Europe (17%), and Oceania (20%) have relatively lower levels of antisemitic attitudes, yet still around one in five adults harbor these sentiments.

According to the survey, the countries and territories with the highest Index Scores include the West Bank and Gaza (97%), Kuwait (97%), and Indonesia (96%), while those with the lowest Index Scores are Sweden (5%), Norway (8%), Canada (8%), and the Netherlands (8%).

“Antisemitic tropes and beliefs are becoming alarmingly normalized across societies worldwide. This dangerous trend is not just a threat to Jewish communities—it’s a warning to us all. 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, and we are committed to continuing our work with our partners around the world to confront and mitigate this deeply ingrained antisemitism,” said Marina Rosenberg, ADL Senior Vice President for International Affairs.

In addition to the 11 Index questions, the survey asked other questions related to Jews, as well as attitudes towards Israel and engagement with Israeli people and businesses. While sentiments toward Israel are mixed, more than seven in ten respondents believe their country should have diplomatic relationships with Israel (71%) and welcome tourists from Israel (75%). Notably, over two thirds of respondents (67%) do not want their country to boycott Israeli products and businesses.

The survey was conducted via telephone, face-to-face, and online using nationally representative probability sampling in each country or territory and has a margin of error of ±4.4% for sample size 500 (the vast majority of countries) and ±3.2% for sample size 1,000. Fieldwork and data collection were conducted and coordinated by Ipsos in all countries outside of the Middle East and North Africa region. Data collection for countries in the Middle East and North Africa region were conducted and coordinated by GDCC, Ronin, and Catalyze Global Research. All interviews were conducted between July 23 and November 13, 2024.

Among the Global 100 survey’s key findings:

• Alarmingly, younger respondents worldwide show a greater prevalence of antisemitic attitudes. For example, 40% of those under age 35 affirm that “Jews are responsible for most of the world’s wars” while it is 29% for those over 50, a remarkable 11 percentage point difference.
• 23% of respondents worldwide express favorable opinions toward the Palestinian terror group Hamas, which increases to 29% among respondents younger than 35.
• Only 16% of the respondents in the Middle East and North Africa and 23% in Sub-Saharan Africa recognize the historical accuracy of the Holocaust.

The fight against antisemitism requires countries to adopt and implement a whole-of-society strategy that involves all levels of government, corporations, academia, civil society, and the public. While no one action or policy can end antisemitism, ADL urges governments, as well as international and non-governmental organizations, to adopt and implement the Global Guidelines for Countering Antisemitism, just as scores of governments and organizations around the world have already done to mitigate the threat and protect Jewish communities.

Negative attitudes toward Jews are one part of how ADL assesses levels of antisemitism. ADL also accounts for the number and nature of antisemitic incidents annually, polls of Jewish communities about their experiences with antisemitism, government policies, and other factors. To learn more about trends in global antisemitism, visit ADL’s Global A.T.L.A.S.

Click here to view a recording of the press conference.

ADL is the leading anti-hate organization in the world. Founded in 1913, its timeless mission is “to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.” Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of antisemitism and bias, using innovation and partnerships to drive impact. A global leader in combating antisemitism, countering extremism and battling bigotry wherever and whenever it happens, ADL works to protect democracy and ensure a just and inclusive society for all. More at www.adl.org.