What do surveys reveal about contemporary American attitudes toward Jewish people and how have they changed over time?
Executive summary
Surveys show that Americans generally express warm feelings toward Jewish people — higher favorability than many minority or nonreligious groups — even as concern about antisemitism and agreement with some antisemitic tropes have risen on particular measures since the early 2020s [1] [2] [3]. Trends are uneven: long-term attitudinal series suggest overall philosemitic patterns, but short-term polls since 2021 record increasing perception of discrimination, spikes in reported incidents, and growth in some conspiracy-linked beliefs, with variation by political ideology, age and personal contact [4] [5] [6] [7].
1. Broad favorability amid worrying signals
National surveys find that far more Americans report favorable than unfavorable views of Jews — a pattern highlighted in Pew’s recent measure of sentiments toward religious groups and in earlier affect studies showing a majority holding warm feelings toward Jews [1] [2]. Yet organizations that track antisemitism warn the warm aggregate masks worrying currents: the ADL’s detailed batteries show persistent belief in at least one antisemitic trope among notable shares of the public and link certain Israel-focused conspiracies to higher acceptance of anti-Jewish myths [3] [6].
2. Rising concern about antisemitism and lived experience
Multiple polls since 2023 show Americans increasingly see antisemitism as a serious social problem and Jewish respondents report more incidents of poor treatment or harassment than members of other faiths; Gallup’s mid‑2024 telephone survey and other large polls document sharper public concern than two decades earlier and heightened reports of mistreatment in the post‑Oct. 7 period [4] [5]. Institutional incident counts and community surveys cited by media and advocacy groups also report spikes in antisemitic incidents, reinforcing perceptions even as long‑term baseline hostility remains lower than in some historical eras [5] [3].
3. The Israel factor and ideological sorting
Surveys show a tight, complex link between attitudes about Israel and attitudes toward Jewish people: those endorsing conspiratorial beliefs about Israeli influence are far more likely to accept anti‑Jewish tropes, and public opinion about Israel’s conduct since October 2023 has shifted views about Jewish treatment in the U.S. [6] [5]. Political ideology matters: research finds antisemitic attitudes more prevalent on the far right in many studies, though some academic work cautions that measurement choice affects whether left‑or right‑leaning antisemitism appears larger — the evidence is nuanced and contested [8] [9].
4. Demographics, contact and measurement problems
Who you ask and how you ask matters. Polls find that personal contact with Jewish people increases both favorable views and awareness of antisemitism, while education correlates with lower acceptance of classic antisemitic beliefs in some surveys AJC-Survey-of-Attitudes-about-Antisemitism-Comparison-2.15.2025.pdf" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">[10] [11]. Scholars warn that differing question wording, sampling frames and historical gaps make long‑term comparisons imperfect: some series (e.g., Gallup’s presidential‑candidate question) show increasing acceptance over decades, whereas ADL batteries trace persistence of specific tropes across time [2] [3] [12].
5. Competing narratives and institutional agendas
Different organizations emphasize different aspects: advocacy groups like ADL and AJC foreground prevalence of tropes and incident counts to press for policy and protection [3] [10], academic studies stress methodological nuance and instability in measures [12] [9], while pollsters such as Pew and Gallup highlight broad favorability alongside rising perceptions of discrimination [1] [4]. Each frame advances implicit agendas — mobilizing resources, pushing for campus or law‑enforcement responses, or urging cautious interpretation of trends — and readers should weigh these motives when interpreting headline claims.
Conclusion: a mixed but actionable picture
Taken together, surveys reveal a mixed American landscape: overall warmth toward Jews at the aggregate level coexists with measurable increases in concern about antisemitism, durable belief in some harmful stereotypes among segments of the population, and volatile short‑term shifts tied to geopolitical events and partisan sorting [1] [4] [6] [5]. Limitations in comparability across question‑styles and time mean conclusions about long‑term growth or decline of antisemitism should be cautious, but the consensus across multiple reputable sources is clear enough to justify continued monitoring, education and targeted interventions where surveys identify risk [12] [3] [10].