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'Unprecedented' global study finds 1 in 4 adults anti-Semitic

By Josh Levs, CNN
updated 7:29 PM EDT, Thu May 15, 2014
  • Survey finds 26% of the world's adults are "deeply infected" with anti-Semitism, the ADL says
  • Nearly half have never heard of the Holocaust
  • In the U.S., 9% believed the majority of negative stereotypes
  • Three in four adults have never met a Jewish person

(CNN) -- One in four adults worldwide are "deeply infected with anti-Semitic attitudes," the Anti-Defamation League announced, in releasing results of an unprecedented global survey.

Nearly half have never heard of the Holocaust, and only a third believe historical descriptions are accurate, the survey found.

Carried out by First International Resources and commissioned by the Anti-Defamation League, the survey included 53,100 adults in 102 countries representing 88% of the world's adult population.

In native languages, it asked people whether certain traditionally anti-Semitic statements are probably true or false, including that Jews have too much power over international markets, global media, and the U.S. government; that they "don't care about what happens to anyone but their own kind," and that "Jews are responsible for most of the world's wars."

The survey then calculated how many believed that at least six of the 11 stereotypes were probably true. In the Middle East and North Africa, 74% did. In Eastern Europe, one in three did, and in Western Europe and sub-Saharan Africa, nearly one in four believed most of the stereotypes.

Overall, 26% believed at least six of the stereotypes -- a figure representing an estimated 1.1 billion people.

The most widely believed stereotype was that Jews are more loyal to Israel than to the countries in which they live.

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"For the first time we have a real sense of how pervasive and persistent anti-Semitism is today around the world," ADL National Director Abraham Foxman said in a statement.


In Laos, only 0.2% of the adult population holds anti-Semitic views, the survey found. Also at the bottom of the list were the Philippines, Sweden and the Netherlands.

In the United States, 9% of respondents believed the majority of the stereotypes.

The highest levels were found in the Palestinian territories at 93% and Iraq at 92%. Yemen, Algeria, Libya and Tunisia were next.

In Asia, less than a quarter of respondents had heard of the Holocaust and believed historical accounts are accurate. In sub-Saharan Africa, that figured dropped to 12%; in the Middle East and North Africa, 8%.

Three quarters of the people surveyed said they've never met a Jewish person. That figure includes most of the people who believe a majority of the anti-Semitic stereotypes are probably true.

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