Campaign Against Antisemitism commissioned YouGov to survey British adults’ attitudes towards Jews. The findings show that antisemitism has risen to the highest levels on record since we began these surveys.
Here are some key takeaways from the polling:
Entrenched antisemitism
- An astounding 21% of the British public affirmed four or more antisemitic statements, compared to 16% last year. In 2021, the figure was 11%.
- In other words, the number of people in Britain holding what we consider to be entrenched antisemitic views has doubled in less than five years to over a fifth of the British population.
- These are the highest figures since we began these surveys a decade ago.
Israel acts like Nazis
- A staggering 45% of the British public – almost half of the population – believes that Israel treats the Palestinians like the Nazis treated the Jews, a record figure and a huge increase from last year’s prior record of 33%. 60% of young people believe this, and 48% – practically half – of Londoners believe it too.
- This is one of the most common antisemitic tropes that we see. It both trivialises the Holocaust, in which six million Jews were industrially slaughtered, and insultingly accuses victims of the crime committed against them of perpetrating it.
Young people
- Almost half (49%) of 18-24-year-olds are uncomfortable spending time with people who openly support Israel; only 18% are comfortable.
- Only 31% of young voters agree that Israel has a right to exist as a homeland for the Jewish people; 20% (one fifth) of them say that it does not.
- 58% of young people believe that Israel and its supporters are a bad influence on our democracy, compared to 29% of the overall population.
- Over a quarter (26%) of the British public believes that Israel can get away with anything because its supporters control the media, up considerably from 18% last year. Among young people, the figure skyrockets to 42%.
- Bearing in mind that the overwhelming majority of British Jews identify as Zionists and with the Jewish state, these attitudes among young Britons have enormous implications for young Jews on campus, on social media and starting out in the workplace.
Views of Hamas among young people
- 10% of young people have a favourable view of Hamas, and 14% of them believe it is wrong to class Hamas as terrorists.
- Almost one fifth – a terrifying 19% – of young people believe that the Hamas attack on Israel on 7th October 2023 was justified.
- These are deeply alarming figures. On 7th October 2023, Hamas murdered some 1,200 people in Israel – having also murdered hundreds over preceding decades by suicide bomb, rocket, bullet, knife and other means. There are few stronger indicators of the rise of extremism in our country than that such high proportions of young people believe that this attack was justified and view the perpetrators favourably.
Among party voters
- 10% of Reform voters do not believe Jewish people are just as loyal to Britain as other British people, and 24% of them – almost a quarter – believe that Jewish people chase money more than other people do. These are higher figures than for voters of any other major party.
- By contrast, only 7% of Reform voters say that they disagree that they would be comfortable spending time with people who openly support Israel – the lowest figure for all party voters.
- This compares very favourably to a remarkable one third (33%) of Labour voters who say that they are uncomfortable spending time with people who openly support Israel, and a majority (54%) of Green Party voters.
- 29% of the British public believe that Israel and its supporters are a bad influence on our democracy, up significantly from 22% last year. 54% of Green Party voters and 32% of Londoners believe this. Conversely, the percentage of the overall population disagreeing that Israel and its supporters are a bad influence on our democracy has fallen from 30% to 23%.
- Among Green Party voters, 15% believe that the Hamas attack on Israel on 7th October 2023 was justified, higher than any other major party’s voters.
- 29% of Labour voters believe that Israel can get away with anything because its supporters control the media. Put differently, nearly one third of voters for the governing party believe that the Jewish state’s supporters control the media and therefore evade accountability.
Perception of antisemitism
- Half (51%) of the British public believes that antisemitism has increased in the UK since October 2023, and 60% of young people agree. 23% of the population believe that it has stayed the same and only 2% believe that it has decreased.
- Awareness of antisemitism is clearly high, but given the rising levels of antisemitic views, either people are not bothered by the surge in anti-Jewish racism or, more likely, they do not comprehend the nature of it and their role in the increase.
Palestine marches
- The country is divided on the regular Palestine marches: 29% view them positively and 32% – a slight plurality – view them negatively. But a sizable majority of 69% believe that they are achieving not very much or nothing at all; only 13% believe that they are achieving something.
- A clear majority of 58% of the British public believes that the organisers of the Palestine protests should foot the bill for them.
- The country is evidently divided on the obsession with Palestine in our public life, but most people do not want to pay for it.
Understanding of Zionism
- 54% of the British public admit that they do not know what Zionism means. Only one third (32%) do know.
Our survey of British adults was conducted by YouGov Plc. The total sample size was 2,245 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 1st – 2nd September 2025. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).
The YouGov survey was designed in collaboration with Campaign Against Antisemitism using the Generalised Antisemitism Scale.
You can read the full results here.
These are the highest antisemitism figures that we have ever recorded, having doubled in less than five years. Our country is clearly at a tipping point.
Our young people are being radicalised into adopting hateful ideologies before our eyes. Britain will lose its soul to extremists unless the silent majority wakes up.
The public recognises that racism against Jewish people has skyrocketed, but the authorities have abysmally failed to rise to the occasion.
Politicians, police and prosecutors, regulators, media organisations, cultural institutions, universities, trade unions – they are all complicit in the creation of a climate of hatred in Britain. Jews may feel it most sharply now, but for all of us, this is not the country that we used to know.
Brislington Community News 