Largest-ever survey of students on antisemitism, supported by World Jewish Congress, finds alarming level of incidents, believability of conspiracies, and lack of Holocaust awareness among college students.

NEW YORK – Today, Jewish on Campus, a nonprofit organization founded by Jewish students to support Jewish students, and World Jewish Congress released the findings of a national survey conducted by Ipsos, of Jewish and non-Jewish students measuring their perceptions of and experiences with antisemitism. Among the most notable findings, 57% of Jewish students surveyed reported witnessing or experiencing an antisemitic incident, whether on campus or in the general public.

The survey, supported by the World Jewish Congress and conducted by Ipsos, included interviews with 2,020 college students from the general population and 1,022 who identified as Jewish. The survey has a credibility interval of +/- 3.1 percentage points. In total, 3,042 college students were surveyed.

Topline data and methodology from the report can be found here.

Key findings of the survey include:

• Nearly one-third of Jewish students surveyed (29%) have witnessed or experienced an antisemitic incident on campus at their college/university and more than two-in-five have witnessed or experienced an antisemitic incident in the general public (44%). Overall, more than half have witnessed or experienced an antisemitic incident in total (57%).
• Of the Jewish students who witnessed or experienced antisemitism on campus, here are the different forms they reported:

• Close to three-quarters witnessed or experienced microaggressions (72%)
• Half witnessed or experienced hate speech (50%) 
• Nearly half witnessed or experienced vandalism (48%)
• More than two-in-five witnessed or experienced the spreading of conspiracy theories (43%)
• More than one-in-five witnessed or experienced wishing death and/or genocide on Jews (21%)

• 84% of Jewish students surveyed consider antisemitism to be either an extreme threat or somewhat of a threat to America, compared to 64% of general public students.
• Three-in-five college students have never heard of institutional antisemitism in the U.S., such as restrictive neighborhood covenants, university quotas, and Jewish loyalty being questioned when joining clubs, boards, etc.
• One-in-six of college students found the historical reality or death toll of the Holocaust not very believable, not at all believable or were unsure. (15%)

Julia Jassey, co-founder and CEO of Jewish on Campus, said, “Our new analysis of the antisemitism Jewish students face – measured on an unprecedented scale – underscores the urgency of our mission to elevate the voices and experiences of Jewish students. As the new school year begins, these findings provide key evidence of the breadth and depth of antisemitism students face, and we will continue urging university administrators, campus leaders, and non-Jewish students to meet this moment and take antisemitism seriously.”

Amb. Ronald Lauder, President of the World Jewish Congress, added, “This study provides concrete evidence that not enough is being done by school administrators and government officials to protect Jewish students from hate. It’s clear that something is very wrong with our education system when more than fifty percent of Jewish students in America have observed an antisemitic incident. Of those, roughly half have witnessed or been on the receiving end of hate speech. It is absolutely unacceptable that next-to-nothing has been done to address this until now. I vow to support Jewish students as they take on the challenges, bigots, and threats of retribution that they face each day. Through our partnership with Jewish on Campus, we will continue to elevate their voices as they fight back against the endless stream of verbal and physical attacks.”

Students were asked about the believability of several examples of antisemitism, including common antisemitic tropes and the immense death toll of the Holocaust. The findings revealed a significant disparity between Jewish and general public students, including on understanding the Holocaust. 

The survey also revealed that 32% of Jewish students said they were aware of Jewish on Campus, whose team comprising students on three campuses conducted the analysis of this data. “In just three short years, our organization has grown from an Instagram page to a movement with a presence on campuses across the country,” said Jassey. “We are deeply encouraged to see our organization’s growth reflected in this survey, and plan to continue expanding our impact in the years ahead as the threat of antisemitism continues.” 

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Jewish on Campus (JOC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded and run by Jewish college students, for Jewish college students. Since its founding in 2020, JOC has collected stories of antisemitism from thousands of students around the world and has assisted in creating change on campus.

The World Jewish Congress (WJC) is the international organization representing Jewish communities in 100 countries to governments, parliaments and international organizations.