Survey - Significantly less "latent anti-Semitism" than 20 years ago
People in Germany are much less likely to express negative prejudices about Jews today than they were 20 years ago. The proportion of people with "latent anti-Semitism" has fallen from 23 percent in 2003 to seven percent this year, according to a survey conducted by the Forsa Institute on behalf of the magazine "Stern". However, according to the survey, negative attitudes towards Jews are twice as common among AfD supporters as among supporters of other parties.
At the end of November, Stern had a survey repeated that had already been conducted in 1998 and 2003. This time, German-speaking citizens aged 14 and over were surveyed in 2018, around 1,000 each in East and West Germany. As back then, the participants were asked eight specific questions that researchers use to detect anti-Jewish attitudes. In all eight categories, agreement with negative prejudices declined.
Allegedly "peculiar"
For example, the statement "Many Jews are trying to take advantage of the Nazi past today and make the Germans pay for it" was still fully or mostly agreed with by 24% in 2023 - compared to 38% in 2003. The phrase "Jews have too much influence in the world" was now agreed with by 14%, compared to 28% 20 years ago.
The phrase "Due to their behavior, Jews are not entirely innocent of their persecution" is now affirmed by 9 percent, compared to 19 percent then. "Jews simply have something special and peculiar about them and therefore don't really fit in with us" is now agreed by seven percent, compared to 17 percent then. The trend was similar for the other questions. The value for "latent anti-Semitism" was calculated from the answers to six of the eight questions. The figure of seven percent corresponds to other recent surveys such as the Leipzig Authoritarianism Study from 2022.
Answers from AfD supporters much more negative
Supporters of the AfD paint a different picture to the average. One in two AfD supporters agreed with the assertion that Jews allegedly "benefit" from the Nazi past (49% compared to 24% overall); 26% of AfD supporters agreed that the influence of Jews in the world is too great; 17% of AfD supporters thought that Jews were "peculiar". In all categories, they were more negative than the average of the other respondents.
Although the respondents themselves expressed negative attitudes less frequently than in 2003, they consider the mood in the country towards Jews to be worse overall: 53% say that attitudes towards Jews have become more negative in recent years - compared to 30% in 2003. Respondents also suspect negative attitudes towards Jews in their own circle of acquaintances somewhat more frequently than 20 years ago.
Anti-Semitism commissioner concerned about "hard core"
Many Jews have recently become more fearful of hostility and worried about their safety in Germany, as the number of reported anti-Semitic incidents has risen sharply since the attack on Israel by the terrorist organization Hamas on 7 October. Since then, the Research and Information Center on Anti-Semitism Rias has recorded an average of 29 anti-Semitic incidents per day.
Berlin anti-Semitism commissioner Samuel Salzborn told Stern magazine about the figures: "The hard core of anti-Semites is becoming more radical, more brutal and possibly more violent." The majority in the country must take an active stance against anti-Semitism, Salzborn demanded. "Otherwise, those who become more aggressive will shape public debates much more."
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- Despite a significant decrease in "latent anti-Semitism" from 23% in 2003 to 7% in 2023, according to a survey conducted by Forsa Institute, negative attitudes towards Jews are more prevalent among supporters of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party compared to supporters of other parties.
- The statement "Many Jews are trying to take advantage of the Nazi past today and make the Germans pay for it" was still agreed with by 24% in 2023, a significant decrease from the 38% agreed in 2003, indicating a decline in negative prejudices towards Jews.
- The AfD, a political party in Germany, tends to hold more negative views towards Judaism and Jews, with 49% of its supporters agreeing that Jews allegedly "benefit" from the Nazi past, compared to 24% of all respondents.
- The survey reveals a concerning trend among AfD supporters, as they demonstrate more negative attitudes towards Jews than the average, with one in two AfD supporters agreeing that Jews have too much influence in the world, and 17% thinking that Jews are "peculiar".
Source: www.stern.de
