Encuesta sobre antisemitismo de la Liga de Antidifamación

Press Release Anti-Semitism: International
ADL Survey in Seven European Countries Finds Anti-Semitic Attitudes Steady; 31 Percent Blame Jews for Financial Crisis

New York, NY, February 10, 2009 … A new survey of seven countries across Europe shows millions continue to believe the classical anti-Semitic canards that have persistently pursued Jews through the centuries.

The findings released by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today revealed that nearly half of the Europeans surveyed believe Jews are not loyal to their country and more than one-third believe they have "too much power" in business and finance.

Attitudes Toward Jews in Seven European Countries (.pdf) an opinion survey of 3,500 adults – 500 in each of the seven European countries – Austria, France, Hungary, Poland, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom – conducted December 1, 2008 – January 13, 2009, found 31% of the respondents across Europe blame Jews in the financial industry for the current global economic crisis.

Overall, 40% of Europeans in the countries polled believe that Jews have too much power in the business world, with more than half of Hungarian, Spanish and Polish respondents agreeing with that statement.

The findings were similar to those of a 2007 ADL survey that found significant percentages of Europeans continue to believe in some of the most pernicious anti-Semitic stereotypes.
"This poll confirms that anti-Semitism remains alive and well in the minds of many Europeans," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. "It is distressing that there seems to be no movement away from the constancy of anti-Semitic held views, with accusations about Jews of disloyalty, control and responsibility for the death of Jesus.

"In the wake of the global financial crisis, the strong belief of excessive Jewish influence on business and finance is especially worrisome," Mr. Foxman added. "Clearly, age old anti-Semitic stereotypes die hard, particularly on a continent which is witnessing a surge in violent attacks on Jews and Jewish institutions following the war in Gaza."

A comparison with the 2007 survey indicates that over the past two years levels of anti-Semitism have remained steady in six of the seven countries tested. The United Kingdom was the only country in which there was a marked decline. Meanwhile, the percentage of those believing that Jews "have too much power in the business world" increased by 7% in Hungary, 6% in Poland and 5% in France.

Respondents across the continent were asked a series of indicator questions representing the most pernicious notions of anti-Semitism and whether or not they thought the following four statements were "probably true" or "probably false."

• Jews are more loyal to Israel than to this country.
• Jews have too much power in the business world.
• Jews have too much power in international financial markets.
• Jews still talk too much about what happened to them in the Holocaust.

Respondents were also asked whether they agree or disagree with the following statement:

• The Jews are responsible for the death of Christ

Finally, respondents were asked,

• If their opinion of Jews was influenced by actions taken by the State of Israel and whether they believed the violence directed against European Jews was a result of anti-Jewish feelings or anti-Israel sentiment.

Findings Summary

Attitudes Toward Jews
• Overall, nearly half of those surveyed in the seven countries believe that Jews are more loyal to Israel than to their own country. A majority of respondents in Germany, Poland and Spain believe that this statement is "probably true;" in Spain, it is 64%.
• High levels of those surveyed across Europe still believe the traditional anti-Jewish canard that "Jews have too much power in the business world." Overall, nearly 40% of all respondents believe this stereotype to be true; in Hungary it is 67%.
• Similarly, European respondents still adhere to the notion that "Jews have too much power in international financial markets." Overall, 41% of those surveyed cling to the traditional stereotype; in Spain it is 74%.
• Large portions of the European public continue to believe that Jews still talk too much about what happened to them in the Holocaust. Overall, 44% of those surveyed believe it is "probably true" that Jews still talk too much about the Holocaust. A majority of respondents in Austria, Hungary and Poland believe it to be true.
• Overall, 23% of those surveyed continue to blame Jews for the death of Jesus.
• Overall, 23% of those surveyed say that their opinion of Jews is influenced by the actions taken by the State of Israel. Of those whose opinions are so influenced, 58% say that their opinion of Jews is worse as a result of the actions taken by Israel.
• In the seven European countries polled, 38% of those surveyed believe that violence directed against Jews is a result of anti-Jewish feelings, while 24% believe it is a result of anti-Israel sentiment. Hungarian and Polish respondents are most likely to believe that anti-Jewish sentiment is the reason behind violence directed against Jews in their countries. Spain is the only country in which more respondents (38%) cited anti-Israel sentiment as opposed to anti-Jewish feelings (26%) as the main cause of the violence directed against Jews.
• Overall, 57% of respondents believe that their government is doing enough to ensure the safety and security of its Jewish citizens. Austrian and German respondents are most likely to think that their government is providing enough protection for its Jewish citizens, while more than a quarter of respondents in Hungary and Poland do not believe their government is providing enough protection for its Jewish citizens.
Global Financial Crisis
• The survey showed that despite the complexities of the current global economic environment, Jews receive a disturbing amount of blame for the financial crisis. Overall, 31% of respondents across Europe blame Jews in the financial industry either "a great deal," "a good amount" or "a little" for the global financial meltdown.

Country by Country Findings on Anti-Semitic Attitudes

In responding "probably true" to the statement, "Jews are more loyal to Israel than their own country," the 2009 survey found:

Austria – 47%, down from 54% in 2007
France – 38%, down from 39% in 2007
Germany – 53%, up from 51% in 2007
Hungary – 40%, down from 50% in 2007
Poland – 63%, up from 59% in 2007
Spain – 64%, up from 60% in 2007
The United Kingdom – 37%, down from 50% in 2007

In responding "probably true" to the statement, "Jews have too much power in the business world," the 2009 survey found:
Austria – 36%, down from 37% in 2007
France – 33%, up from 28% in 2007
Germany – 21%, unchanged from 2007
Hungary – 67%, up from 60% in 2007
Poland – 55%, up from 49% in 2007
Spain – 56%, up from 53% in 2007
The United Kingdom – 15%, down from 22% in 2007

In responding "probably true" to the statement "Jews have too much power in international financial markets," the 2009 survey found:

Austria – 37%, down from 43% in 2007
France – 27%, down from 28% in 2007
Germany – 22%, down from 25% in 2007
Hungary – 59%, down from 61% in 2007
Poland – 54%, unchanged from 2007
Spain –74%, up from 68% in 2007
The United Kingdom – 15%, down from 21% in 2007

In responding "probably true" to the statement "Jews still talk too much about what happened to them in the Holocaust," the 2009 survey found:

Austria – 55%, up from 54% in 2007
France – 33%, down from 40 % in 2007
Germany – 45%, unchanged from 2007
Hungary – 56%, down from 58% from 2007
Poland – 55%, down from 58% in 2007
Spain – 42%, down from 46% in 2007
The United Kingdom – 20%, down from 28% in 2007

ADL commissioned First International Resources to conduct the survey. Fielded in Europe by Taylor Nelson Sofres, it was conducted in the native language of each of the countries among the general population. The margin of error for each country is +/- 4% at 95% level of confidence.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.