Survey: Perceptions of antisemitism

A total of 89 percent of European Jews believe that antisemitism has significantly increased in EU states over the past five years, a fresh Eurobarometer survey on Antisemitism in Europe revealed.

“The results of the survey show that there is a perception gap on Antisemitism: while 89% of Jews say that Antisemitism has significantly increased over the past 5 years, only 36% of the general public consider it has increased,” the survey published by the European Commission said.

At least 85 percent of European Jews consider antisemitism to be a very serious problem in Europe.

According to the survey, every other respondent considered antisemitism to be a problem in their country, while 40 percent said they did not consider it to be an issue in their respective countries.

“There are also significant differences in perception among Member States. People saying that Antisemitism is a problem is highest in countries with significant Jewish communities, and where physical attacks against the Jewish community have taken place, including Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, UK, and Belgium,” the survey said.

The survey was conducted among 27,643 people in all EU member states who were asked about their perceptions of antisemitism.

In November 2018, a survey of European Jewish Community Leaders and Professionals revealed that two-thirds of European Jewish community leaders believed that the level of antisemitism would continue to grow in Europe over the next decade.