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THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, August 1, 1981
Poll Reveals Decline in Anti-Semitism
Gary R Miller &
Associates
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a Personal Touch
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NEW YORK (JTA) —
Anti-Semitism in America
has declined significantly in
the last two decades. Today
only 34 percent of the non-
Jews in the United States
are anti-Semitic compared
to 45 percent in 1964.
At the same time there
has been a decline in sup-
port among Americans for
the state of Israel since
1977. While in 1977 66 per-
cent of the American public
felt that the continuation of
Israel is important to the
U.S., only 51 percent feel
the same today.
These are the major find-
ings of a survey on anti-
Semitism in the United
States just completed by the
opinion research company
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of Yankelovich, Skelly and
White. The survey was
commissioned by the
American Jewish Commit-
tee.
Daniel Yankelovich,
chairman of the research
company, said that the
baseline for comparison
with current findings
was a similar survey
conducted in 1964 by a
research team from the
University of California
at Berkeley, and pub-
lished in 1969 under the
title, "The Tenacity of
Prejudice." The conclu-
sion that anti-Semitism
was declining, he said,
was based on an 11-item
index that was used in
both 1964 and 1981.
The 1981 national survey
was based on 1,215 personal
interviews which included
174 Jews and 127 blacks.
The survey shows that
the decline in anti-Semitic
beliefs was most pro-
nounced in terms of tradi-
tional negative stereotypes
about the Jewish character.
For example, since 1964
there has been a decline in
the proportion of non-Jews
who feel that Jews have a
lot of irritating faults" (48
percent in 1964, down to 29
percent in 1981), or that
Jews are not as honest,"
(from 34 down to 22 per-
cent.)
Ruth Clark, senior vice
president of the research
firm, analyzing the survey's
findings, said that "gener-
ally speaking, positive im-
ages of Jews are more per-
vasive than negative ones.
A substantial majority of
non-Jews express the belief
that Jews are honest;
hardworking, warm and
friendly, have a strong faith
in God, and have contrib-
uted much to the cultural
life of the county."
An analysis of the
findings, Mrs. Clark said,
reveals that:
• "45 percent of non-Jews
can be characterized as un-
prejudiced — relatively free
of anti-Semitic beliefs;
• "32 percent of non-Jews
are neutrals — without
strong positive or negative
beliefs about Jews;
• "23 percent of non-Jews
can be characterized as
prejudiced with strong
negative beliefs about
Jews."
If we exclude the
neutrals and examine the
views of individuals who
are definitely prejudiced
or unprejudiced," Mrs.
Clark said, "we find that
34 percent of non-Jews
qualify as anti-Semitic
today compared to 45
percent in 1964."
The survey showed that
anti-Semitism is also more
widespread among blacks
than among whites. But,
the survey disclosed, black
acceptance of Jews is quite
similar to the level of black
acceptance of Italian
Americans and Japanese
Americans. The result of
the study also indicates that
the perceived business
power of Jews is responsible
for the way blacks feel about
Jews.
In contrast to the overall
decline in anti-Semitism,
the level of anti-Semitism
among blacks has remained
unchanged since 1964, the
survey disclosed.
According to Yan-
kelovich, the decline in
anti-Semitism in the
United States "is not
primarily the result of
changes in the view of indi-
viduals, but the result of
generational change."
In 1964, he explained,
older adults tended to be
highly anti-Semitic. Their
passing on and their re-
placement by today's
young adults has re-
sulted in lower levels of
anti-Semitism, since
young people today tend
to be relatively unprej-
udiced. It is the changing
of generations then and
not the changing of atti-
tudes which is primarily
responsible for a decline
in anti-Semitism.
The findings show that
only 16 percent of 18-29-
year olds are prejudiced,
compared to 31 percent of
those 55 and over. Mrs.
Clark said that anti-
Semitism is more wide-
spread among the older and
less educated than the
young and the more edu-
cated.
The survey said that
while there is a decline in
anti-Semitism since 1964
"Jews are increasingly
likely to be viewed as more
loyal to Israel than the
United States and as having
too much power." In 1964
only 13 percent of the non-
Jews believed Jews have too
much power in the U.S.;
today that figure is up to 23
percent.
In addition, in 1964, 39
percent of non-Jews be-
lieved Jews are more loyal
to Israel than to America;
today the figure is 48 per-
cent.
The decline in the sup-
port of Americans for Is-
rael was not replaced in
increased support for the
Arabs. "It has manifested
itself in the form of in-
creased uncertainty
about what American
policy in the Mideast
should be," Mrs. Clar .
said.
The survey showed 31
percent of non-Jews believe
Israel is wrong in refusing
to deal with the Palestine
Liberation Organization,
while 25 percent support Is-
rael on this issue.
Bertram Gold, the AJ-
Committee's executive vice
president, responding to the
survey's findings, said, "It is
important to note that this
study was limited to the
United States, and that it
did not measure new de-
velopments in international
anti-Semitism. Its findings
that there has been a sig-
nificant decline in anti-
Semitic prejudice provides
corroborative evidence to
our own perception that
there has been a substantial
decrease in discrimination
against Jews in the United
States over the years.
"It should also be noted
that while we feel gratified
that the overall anti-
Semitism figure has drop-
ped from 45 percent to 34
percent, that is 34 percent
more anti-Semitism than
we care to live with, and we
shall continue our efforts to
eradicate it wherever it
exists."
Testament
By CHARLES LUKACS
Little boy with eyes like the sea
Look at me,
I am your ancestor!
If one day you follow my trace
don't look in school books for my face.
Proud statues in parks, won't tell my deeds
nor search in archives yield my fame.
But . . . do not blush when you hear my name.
I was here,
Daring to love
when every one hated!
Standing up to be counted .. .
when the smart hesitated.
And in the dark silence of fear
My voice was heard, loud and clear
like birdcry, in the early morning air.
Little boy — remember this
when you hear my name.
r
El Al Lost $47.5 Million in '84-
TEL AVIV (JTA) — El Al
lost $47.5 million last year,
according to its annual
budget. Nevertheless, the
airline's manag6ment ex-
pressed satisfaction with
the deficit, pointing out that
it was about half the loss it
incurred in 1979. They said
this was the result of strict
measures taken to reduce
expenditures.
Of the total deficit, $38
million was an operational
loss with another $9.5 mil-
lion due to payment of
severance pay to pilots and
others persuaded to retire
as an economy measure.
El Al director general
nilo
Yitzhak Shander said the
airline will ask the
government, as soon a
is formed, to improve the
capital structure of the
company.
He also wants the gov-
ernment to ensure that the
national airline's interests
are fully- protected in any
agreements reached on
charter flights to and from
Israel.
I finally know what dis-
tinguishes man from the
other beasts: financial wor-
ries.
—The Journal of Jules
Renard