Gauthier
05-14-2014, 06:05 PM
Updated May 13, 2014 12:08 a.m. ET
About a quarter of the world's population agrees that a number of negative statements about Jews are "probably true," according to a poll aimed at providing a statistical underpinning to the question of how widespread anti-Semitism is globally.
In the survey to be released Tuesday, which covered 101 countries plus the Palestinian territories, 26% of respondents agreed with at least six of 11 negative statements—what its sponsor called stereotypes—about Jews. The questions included "Jews are more loyal to Israel than [their home] country," and "Jews have too much power in the business world."
The poll was sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League, a leading organization for fighting anti-Semitism and other prejudice, and funded by New York business leader and philanthropist Leonard Stern. The pollster, First International Resources, conducted 53,100 interviews in 96 languages, and its sponsors said it was the most extensive survey ever on anti-Semitism.
The League said its goal was to create a snapshot of anti-Semitic views in all parts of the world, to find ways to combat it, and to allow future surveys to measure whether, and where, the prejudice is rising or falling.
Abraham Foxman, the League's national director, said he was taken aback that anti-Semitism remained so prevalent.
"You would think—I would think—that 70 years after the Holocaust, with all the marvels of communication, of greater openness…that it would be low," said Mr. Foxman, who has worked for the New York-based League since 1965 and headed the group since 1987. "So it's maybe not shocking, but it's sobering."
The only religious group with a higher unfavorability rating in the survey than Jews was Muslims. While 38% rated Jews favorably and 21% unfavorably, both numbers were higher for Muslims, with 47% rating them favorably and 24% unfavorably. In comparison, 62% rated Christians favorably and just 15% unfavorably, the survey found.
Countries in the Middle East and North Africa, which generally have a contentious relationship with Israel, have by far the highest proportion of people responding with anti-Semitic views, with an average of 74%, the survey found.
Outside that region, Greece had the highest percentage, with 69% of the people surveyed affirming six or more of the anti-Semitic statements. Anti-Semitism and other forms of prejudice tend to rise during times of economic hardship, and Greece has been struggling with a downturn. The extremist party Golden Dawn, which has blamed Jews and other minorities for the country's woes, has made significant inroads there.
South Korea's results showed that negative views of Jews weren't necessarily tied to proximity, with 53% of those surveyed affirming six or more of the anti-Semitic statements. The country has about 100 Jews, according to the Jewish Virtual Library, an online encyclopedia.
The survey's findings didn't all support anti-Semitic views. While 26% agreed with six or more of the anti-Semitic statements, 28% didn't believe that any of them was "probably true."
In the U.S., 9% of those surveyed subscribed to six of the 11 statements, giving it one of the lowest levels of anti-Semitism. The U.S. is the only country where the League has conducted such surveys for years; the figure has dropped from 29% in the first survey, in 1964.
Full article:
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304655304579551974194329920?mg=ren o64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB1000 1424052702304655304579551974194329920.html
Global
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Regional
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http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/4261/c3ku.jpg (http://img839.imageshack.us/i/c3ku.jpg/)
About a quarter of the world's population agrees that a number of negative statements about Jews are "probably true," according to a poll aimed at providing a statistical underpinning to the question of how widespread anti-Semitism is globally.
In the survey to be released Tuesday, which covered 101 countries plus the Palestinian territories, 26% of respondents agreed with at least six of 11 negative statements—what its sponsor called stereotypes—about Jews. The questions included "Jews are more loyal to Israel than [their home] country," and "Jews have too much power in the business world."
The poll was sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League, a leading organization for fighting anti-Semitism and other prejudice, and funded by New York business leader and philanthropist Leonard Stern. The pollster, First International Resources, conducted 53,100 interviews in 96 languages, and its sponsors said it was the most extensive survey ever on anti-Semitism.
The League said its goal was to create a snapshot of anti-Semitic views in all parts of the world, to find ways to combat it, and to allow future surveys to measure whether, and where, the prejudice is rising or falling.
Abraham Foxman, the League's national director, said he was taken aback that anti-Semitism remained so prevalent.
"You would think—I would think—that 70 years after the Holocaust, with all the marvels of communication, of greater openness…that it would be low," said Mr. Foxman, who has worked for the New York-based League since 1965 and headed the group since 1987. "So it's maybe not shocking, but it's sobering."
The only religious group with a higher unfavorability rating in the survey than Jews was Muslims. While 38% rated Jews favorably and 21% unfavorably, both numbers were higher for Muslims, with 47% rating them favorably and 24% unfavorably. In comparison, 62% rated Christians favorably and just 15% unfavorably, the survey found.
Countries in the Middle East and North Africa, which generally have a contentious relationship with Israel, have by far the highest proportion of people responding with anti-Semitic views, with an average of 74%, the survey found.
Outside that region, Greece had the highest percentage, with 69% of the people surveyed affirming six or more of the anti-Semitic statements. Anti-Semitism and other forms of prejudice tend to rise during times of economic hardship, and Greece has been struggling with a downturn. The extremist party Golden Dawn, which has blamed Jews and other minorities for the country's woes, has made significant inroads there.
South Korea's results showed that negative views of Jews weren't necessarily tied to proximity, with 53% of those surveyed affirming six or more of the anti-Semitic statements. The country has about 100 Jews, according to the Jewish Virtual Library, an online encyclopedia.
The survey's findings didn't all support anti-Semitic views. While 26% agreed with six or more of the anti-Semitic statements, 28% didn't believe that any of them was "probably true."
In the U.S., 9% of those surveyed subscribed to six of the 11 statements, giving it one of the lowest levels of anti-Semitism. The U.S. is the only country where the League has conducted such surveys for years; the figure has dropped from 29% in the first survey, in 1964.
Full article:
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304655304579551974194329920?mg=ren o64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB1000 1424052702304655304579551974194329920.html
Global
http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/4021/43u3.jpg (http://img835.imageshack.us/i/43u3.jpg/)
Regional
http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/1365/l0db.jpg (http://img834.imageshack.us/i/l0db.jpg/)
http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/2486/sf4e.jpg (http://img843.imageshack.us/i/sf4e.jpg/)
http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/4261/c3ku.jpg (http://img839.imageshack.us/i/c3ku.jpg/)