One in five Australian adults holds strong anti-Semitic beliefs, according to a surprising new survey.
A survey by the Anti-Defamation League found that 46 percent of the world’s adult population – approximately 2.2 billion people – harbor “deeply held anti-Semitic attitudes,” double the number a decade ago.
Australia’s own Index Score, which rates respondents’ negative stereotypes about Jews, such as lack of belief in the Holocaust or conspiracy that Jews control world events, has risen six percentage points since 2014.
Around 20 per cent of Australians (equivalent to 4.2 million people) hold anti-Semitic beliefs, and an alarming number of young people believe the Holocaust was a myth.
The shocking findings come amid a recent wave of anti-Semitic attacks in Sydney, with two synagogues attacked by masked vandals who painted swastikas on places of worship last weekend.
The survey also found that 20 percent of respondents worldwide have not heard of the Holocaust.
Globally, less than half (48 percent) recognize the historical accuracy of the Holocaust, a figure that falls to 39 percent in the 18-34 age group.
While three in five (61 per cent) Australian respondents believe the Holocaust is described accurately, fewer younger respondents agree.
Those ages 18 to 49 are more likely to think the death toll was exaggerated (18 percent), never heard of the Holocaust (nine percent), or believed it was a myth (8 percent).
A survey by the Anti-Defamation League found that 46 percent of the world’s adult population harbors “deeply held anti-Semitic attitudes,” double the number a decade ago. Pictured is anti-Semitic graffiti painted on a wall behind a burnt-out car in Woollahra, eastern Sydney.
The shocking findings come amid a recent wave of anti-Semitic attacks in Sydney. Pictured is the South Sydney Synagogue in Allawah after it was attacked last Friday.
In Australia, almost three in five (57 per cent) of people view Palestine favorably, compared to just 40 per cent who feel the same about Israel.
Meanwhile, one in five express favorability towards Hamas, including a third of people aged 18 to 34 and 39 per cent of people who moved to Australia as adults.
Australia was the 15th least anti-Semitic country out of 103.
Marina Rosenberg, senior vice president of international affairs at the ADL, said anti-Semitic tropes were becoming “alarmingly normalized in societies around the world.”
“This dangerous trend is not just a threat to Jewish communities: it is a warning to all of us,” he said.
“Even in countries with the lowest levels of anti-Semitic attitudes globally, we have seen many anti-Semitic incidents perpetrated by a small, emboldened, vocal and violent minority.”
ADL executive director and former Barrack Obama adviser Jonathan A. Greenblatt called for a “whole-of-society approach” to address the scourge of anti-Semites.
“It is clear that we need new government interventions, more education, additional safeguards on social media and new security protocols to prevent anti-Semitic hate crimes,” he said.
First released in 2014, the ADL Global 100 remains the world’s largest study of anti-Semitic attitudes.
About 10 red swastikas were sprayed on the front walls of Newtown Synagogue (pictured) in Sydney’s inner west last Saturday.
Police later released CCTV footage of two hooded men seen outside the synagogue at around 4.25am on Saturday (pictured).
A man was seen pushing a mountain bike down the street (pictured)
It 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 assessed.
For the latest survey, more than 58,000 adults from 103 countries and territories were surveyed, representing 94 percent of the global adult population.
All interviews were conducted between July 23 and November 13, 2024 and were conducted via telephone, in-person, or online questionnaires.
The South Sydney synagogue, in the suburb of Allawah, was attacked last Friday morning by anti-Semitic vandals who painted a series of large red swastikas at the entrance to the place of worship.
The next morning, the Newtown synagogue, in Sydney’s inner west, was similarly attacked.
Police have since released CCTV footage of two hooded men seen outside the synagogue at around 4.25am on Saturday.
NSW Premier Chris Minns condemned the incident in Newtown and urged anyone who witnessed the incident to come forward.
Restaurateur Alan Yazbek pleaded guilty to displaying a Nazi symbol during a pro-Palestine demonstration in Sydney’s Hyde Park on October 6 last year (pictured).
‘These people are determined to divide our community in two. We will always denounce these acts for what they are: monstrous and atrocious,” said Mr Minns.
The Prime Minister also announced the extension of a one-off $340,000 grant to improve temporary security measures for the New South Wales Jewish community.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also condemned the incident, saying in a post to X on Saturday that those who committed the act “should face the full weight of the law.”
“The vile graffiti we have seen overnight, including at the Newtown Synagogue, is abhorrent and must stop immediately,” Albanese wrote.
“We made it illegal to use Nazi symbols and other symbols of hate because there is no place in Australia for anti-Semitism.”
In the most recent attack, graffiti saying “gas the Jews” was sprayed on a wall near Sydenham train station on Monday.
They are the latest attacks in a long and depressing list of anti-Semitic incidents in Australia since the October 7 terrorist attacks.
Restaurateur Alan Yazbek pleaded guilty to displaying a Nazi symbol during a pro-Palestine demonstration in Sydney’s Hyde Park on October 6 last year.
The co-owner of the Nomad Restaurant Group appeared at Downing Center Local Court last month, where he was granted 12 months’ probation without conviction.