One in five British adults now hold or agree with views that the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) classifies as antisemitic, according to a YouGov poll published ahead of a planned march in central London by Jewish community members and allies.
The survey found 21% of respondents agreed with statements on the Generalised Antisemitism Scale, up from 16% a year earlier and 11% in 2021. The CAA said the figures represent the highest level of antisemitic attitudes recorded since it began publishing similar surveys a decade ago, and described the rise as "deeply alarming."
The polling, carried out online by YouGov between Sept. 1 and Sept. 2 among a representative sample of 2,245 British adults, also found record levels of others forms of hostility toward Israel and Jewish people. Forty-five percent of respondents agreed with the statement that Israel treats Palestinians like the Nazis treated the Jews, a figure that rose to 60% among 18- to 24-year-olds and to 48% among Londoners. The CAA said that comparison is one of the most common antisemitic tropes and that it both trivialises the Holocaust and falsely accuses victims of perpetrating the crimes committed against them.
The survey reported that younger Britons were more likely than older cohorts to hold a string of concerning beliefs. Almost half (49%) of 18- to 24-year-olds said they would be uncomfortable spending time with people who openly support Israel, and only 31% of that age group agreed that Israel has a right to exist as a homeland for the Jewish people; 20% said it does not. The poll also found that 10% of young people expressed a favourable view of Hamas and that 14% said it was wrong to classify Hamas as terrorists. Nineteen percent of the same age group said the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, was justified.
The YouGov questionnaire was designed in collaboration with CAA using the Generalised Antisemitism Scale, a 12-statement measure that includes items related to both Judeophobic antisemitism and anti-Zionist sentiment. The scale was devised by academics at King's College London, Goldsmiths and the University of Derby and is based on the International Definition of Antisemitism. The CAA said the combined measure allows it to track both anti-Jewish and anti-Zionist attitudes that it regards as antisemitic. Critics of the international definition argue that it conflates legitimate criticism of Israel with antisemitism; the survey summary notes this controversy.
The polling showed broader shifts in public opinion: 26% of respondents said Israel can "get away with anything because its supporters control the media," up from 18% last year, and the figure rose to 42% among young people. Nearly a third of respondents (29%) viewed pro-Palestine marches positively while 32% viewed them negatively; however, 69% said such marches were achieving "not very much or nothing at all," and 58% said organisers should pay for protests.
Party and regional breakdowns in the poll highlighted higher levels of problematic attitudes among some groups. Among Reform Party voters, 10% said they do not believe Jewish people are as loyal to Britain as other British people and 24% agreed with the stereotype that Jewish people chase money more than others. For Green Party voters, 54% said Israel and its supporters are a bad influence on democracy and 15% said the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel was justified.
The CAA linked the increase in antisemitic sentiment to the wider conflict in the Middle East, saying the backlash to Israel's response to the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks had fuelled anti-Jewish sentiment in Britain. The charity called on political, policing and cultural institutions to act, saying in a statement that "our young people are being radicalised into adopting hateful ideologies before our eyes" and warning that "the authorities have abysmally failed to rise to the occasion."
Organisers of the planned March Against Antisemitism said thousands of Jewish community members and allies were expected to gather in Marylebone, central London, with attendees due to assemble at the corner of Weymouth Street and Hallam Street at 1 p.m. The march follows months of polarised public debate and street demonstrations in the UK related to the Israel-Hamas war and its humanitarian impact in Gaza.
Public concern about antisemitism appears to have risen alongside the polling findings: 51% of respondents said antisemitism in the UK has increased since October 2023, and 60% of young people agreed. Only 23% said it had stayed the same and 2% said it had decreased.
Researchers and advocacy groups say the data underscore tensions on university campuses, on social media and in workplaces as younger Britons show higher rates of antagonism toward Israel and Jewish people. The CAA urged a broad societal response, calling for action from politicians, police, prosecutors, regulators, media organisations, universities, trade unions and cultural institutions.
YouGov provided the methodology and sampling details with the poll release. The CAA said it would publish further analysis of the results and urged community leaders and authorities to address the trends the survey identified.