( Hill )
According to a new Ipsos survey, 57 percent of Jewish college students in America say they have either witnessed or experienced antisemitism.
The locations where the students said they witnessed or experienced an antisemitic incident include on campus, “at a college/university affiliated event” and “[i]n the general public.”
Almost a third of Jewish college students said they have “witnessed or experienced” an antisemitic incident specifically on campus. That drew a stark contrast to the same question asked on non-Jewish students, with only 5 percent of them saying they had “witnessed or experienced” an antisemitic incident on campus.
In an interview with The Hill, Jewish on Campus CEO Julia Jassey said some instances of antisemitism, such as microaggressions and tropes, can be harder to identify than others.
“At the end of the day, we can’t ignore the small stuff or it will become bigger, whether that’s on campus or off campus,” Jassey said.
Jassey noted the gap in understanding between the general population of college students and Jewish students about antisemitism today, and suggested closing the gap through education.
“That has to start young, K-12,” Jassey said. “And that can’t stop, it has to continue in trainings that are happening for colleges, and for workplaces.”
An Economist/YouGov poll from Dec. 2022 found 50 percent of U.S. adults saying that antisemitism had increased in the last few years. A majority of the respondents also said it was at least a somewhat serious problem in the country.
“This study provides concrete evidence that not enough is being done by school administrators and government officials to protect Jewish students from hate,” World Jewish Congress president Ronald Lauder said in a statement. “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.”
“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,” he added.
The Ipsos survey featured responses from 2,020 adults ages 18-28 who are currently attending a two-year or four-year college or university as undergraduates, and 1,022 in that category who identified as Jewish, according to the survey. The survey has a credibility interval of 3.1 percent for the general population respondents.
The survey, conducted between March 19 and May 24, was conducted for Jewish on Campus and supported by the World Jewish Congress, according to an Ipsos press release.
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