One in five Australian adults hold strong anti-Semitic beliefs, according to a surprising new poll.
A survey by the Anti-Defamation League found that 46 percent of the world’s adult population – an estimated 2.2 billion people – harbor “deeply held anti-Semitic attitudes” – double the number a decade ago.
Australia’s Index Score, which ranks respondents’ negative stereotypes about Jews, such as a lack of belief in the Holocaust or the conspiracy that Jews control world events, has increased by six percentage points since 2014.
About 20 percent of Australians – equivalent to 4.2 million people – hold anti-Semitic beliefs, while 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 targeted by masked vandals who spotted swastikas across the places of worship last weekend.
The survey also found that 20 percent of respondents worldwide have never heard of the Holocaust.
Globally, less than half (48 percent) recognize the historical accuracy of the Holocaust, falling to 39 percent among those aged 18 to 34.
While three in five (61 percent) of Australian respondents believe the Holocaust has been described accurately, fewer younger respondents agree.
Those between the ages of 18 and 49 are more likely to think the death toll is exaggerated (18 percent), have heard of the Holocaust (nine percent) or believe it is a myth (8 percent).
A survey conducted by the Anti-Defamation League found that 46 percent of the world’s adult population harbors “deeply held anti-Semitic attitudes” – double the number from a decade ago. Anti-Semitic graffiti is pictured spray-painted on a wall behind a burnt-out car in Woollahra, Sydney’s east
The shocking findings come amid a recent wave of anti-Semitic attacks in Sydney. The photo shows Sydney’s Southern Synagogue in Allawah after it was targeted last Friday
In Australia, almost three in five (57 percent) of people view Palestine favorably, compared to just 40 percent who feel the same about Israel.
Meanwhile, one in five express a preference for Hamas, including a third of 18-34 year olds and 39 percent of those who moved to Australia as adults.
Australia was the 15th least anti-Semitic country out of 103.
Marina Rosenberg, ADL’s senior vice president for international affairs, said anti-Semitic tropes are “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,” she said.
“Even in countries with the lowest levels of anti-Semitic attitudes globally, we have seen many anti-Semitic incidents perpetrated by an emboldened small, vocal and violent minority.”
ADL CEO and former adviser to Barrack Obama Jonathan A. Greenblatt called for a “whole of society approach” to tackle the scourge of anti-Semitic behavior.
“It is clear that we need new government interventions, more education, additional safeguards on social media and new safety protocols to prevent anti-Semitic hate crimes,” he said.
First launched in 2014, the ADL Global 100 remains the world’s most comprehensive survey of anti-Semitic attitudes.
About ten red swastikas were spray-painted on the front walls of the 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 eleven negative stereotypes about Jews tested.
The latest survey surveyed more than 58,000 adults from 103 countries and territories, representing 94 percent of the world’s adult population.
All interviews were conducted between July 23 and November 13, 2024 and conducted via telephone, face-to-face or online questionnaires.
The Southern Sydney Synagogue in the suburb of Allawah was targeted last Friday morning by anti-Semitic vandals who defaced a number of large red swastikas at the entrance to the place of worship.
The next morning, the Newtown Synagogue in Sydney’s inner west was also targeted.
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 Newtown incident and urged anyone who may have witnessed the act to come forward.
Restaurateur Alan Yazbek pleaded guilty to displaying a Nazi symbol at a pro-Palestinian rally in Sydney’s Hyde Park on October 6 last year (pictured)
“These people are determined to divide our community in two. We will always continue to call these acts for what they are: monstrous and abhorrent,” Mr Minns said.
The Prime Minister also announced the extension of a one-off $340,000 grant for enhanced temporary safety measures for the Jewish community in NSW.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also condemned the incident, saying in a post to X on Saturday that those who committed the act “must face the full force of the law.”
“The despicable graffiti we have seen overnight, including at the Newtown Synagogue, is abhorrent and must stop immediately,” Albanese wrote.
“We have made it illegal to use Nazi and other hate symbols because there is no place for anti-Semitism in Australia.”
In the latest attack, ‘Gas the Jews’ was painted on a wall near Sydenham train station on Monday
The attacks are the latest in a long and depressing list of anti-Semitic incidents that have occurred in Australia since the October 7 terrorist attacks.
Restaurateur Alan Yazbek pleaded guilty to displaying a Nazi symbol at a pro-Palestinian rally in Sydney’s Hyde Park on October 6 last year.
The Nomad Restaurant Group co-owner appeared in Downing Center Local Court last month where he was given a 12-month conditional discharge without conviction.