A sw sti a i
wall e s
in Volgord,

ADL releases survey results showing anti-Semitism is pervasive.

Uriel Heilman

J TA

A

lot of people around the world
hate the Jews.
That's the main finding of the
Anti-Defamation League's largest-ever
worldwide survey of anti-Semitic attitudes.
The survey, released May 13, found that
26 percent of those polled — representing
approximately 1.1 billion adults world-
wide — harbor deeply anti-Semitic views.
More than 53,000 people were surveyed
in 102 countries and territories covering
approximately 86 percent of the world's
population.
"Our findings are sobering but, sadly,
not surprising:' ADL National Director

Abraham Foxman said during a news
conference in New York. "The data clearly
indicates that classic anti-Semitic canards
defy national, cultural, religious and eco-
nomic boundaries."
The survey gauged anti-Semitism
by asking whether respondents agreed
with an index of 11 statements the ADL
believes suggest anti-Jewish bias. Some
examples: Jews talk too much about what
happened to them during the Holocaust;
Jews are more loyal to Israel than to the
countries they live in; Jews think they are
better than other people; Jews have too
much power in international financial
markets; Jews have too much power in
the business world; Jews have too much
control over global affairs; Jews have too

much control over global media; Jews are
responsible for most of the world's wars;
Jews don't care about what happens to any-
one but their own kind.
Respondents who agreed that a majority
of the statements are "probably true" were
deemed anti-Semitic.
Over the years, the ADL has been
criticized for overstating what qualifies as
anti-Semitism, with critics suggesting that
some of the statements used to measure
bias actually are more indicative of admi-
ration for Jews than anti-Jewish hostility.
Foxman addressed such criticism at the
news conference.
"We frequently get accused of seeing
anti-Semitism everywhere, and we're very
conscious about the credibility:' he said.

"We were cautious, we were conservative,
to understate rather than overstate."
The survey was overseen by First
International Resources and conducted by
Anzalone Liszt Grove Research. It included
telephone and in-person surveys con-
ducted in 96 languages between July 2013
and February 2014. At least 500 adults
were interviewed in each of the countries
surveyed.
The margin of error is 4.4 percent in
countries with 500 interviews and 3.2
percent in countries with 1,000 inter-
views. The study was funded by New York
philanthropist Leonard Stern; the ADL
declined to say how much it cost.
To see the study, go to globa1100.adl.
org.

❑

Key Findings:

• Some 70 percent of those considered anti-Semitic said they have never met a
Jew. Overall, 74 percent of respondents said they had never met a Jew.

• Thirty-five percent of those surveyed had never heard of the Holocaust. Of
those who had, roughly one-third said it is either a myth or greatly exaggerated.

• The most anti-Semitic region in the world is the Middle East and North Africa,
with 74 percent harboring anti-Semitic views. Eastern Europe was second at 34
percent. The least anti-Semitic region was Oceania (Australia and New Zealand)
at 14 percent.

• The three countries outside the Middle East with the highest rates of anti-
Semitic attitudes were Greece, at 69 percent, Malaysia at 61 percent and
Armenia at 58 percent.

• The West Bank and Gaza were the most anti-Semitic places surveyed, with 93
percent of respondents expressing anti-Semitic views. The Arab country with the
lowest level of anti-Semitic views was Morocco, at 80 percent. Iran ranked as the
least anti-Semitic country in the Middle East, at 56 percent.

• The least anti-Semitic country overall was Laos, where 0.2 percent of the
population holds anti-Semitic views. The Philippines, Sweden, the Netherlands
and Vietnam all came in at 6 percent or lower.

• Approximately 9 percent of Americans and 14 percent of Canadians harbor
anti-Semitic attitudes.

"The ADL's Global 100 Index will serve as a baseline," Foxman said. "For the first
time, we have a real sense of how pervasive and persistent anti-Semitism is
today around the world."

❑

• About 49 percent of Muslims worldwide harbor anti-Semitic views, compared
to 24 percent of Christians.

32

May 22 • 2014