Antisemitism is Increasingly a “Youth” Problem, According to Study.
Der Standard, April 2, 2025
German original: https://www.derstandard.at/story/3000000264070/antisemitismus-wird-laut-studie-zunehmend-jugendliches-problem
Antisemitism is also on the rise among people with university degrees. The experts see one cause – especially among younger people – in media consumption.
Vienna – Antisemitism is increasingly becoming a “youth” problem. This is the conclusion of a study from 2024, which the Institute for Empirical Social Research (Ifes) has again conducted on behalf of parliament. According to the study, young people in particular – especially with regard to Israel – are more antisemitic than the older generation. In an interview with the Austrian Press Agency (APA), National Council President Walter Rosenkranz (Freedom Party of Austria, FPÖ) also sees the government as being called upon.
For the study, which has been conducted every two years since 2018, a total of 2,037 people aged 16 and older throughout Austria were interviewed by telephone and online in October and November of last year. An additional sample of 1,080 people included 577 people with a migration background from Turkey and 503 people with a migration background from an Arabic-speaking country.
The study also shows stagnation and, in some cases, slight declines in some antisemitic attitudes: 13 percent of those surveyed continued to hold manifest antisemitic attitudes, compared to 15 percent in 2022. Latent antisemitism also remained at the same level, at 33 percent (2022: 32 percent). Conspiracy theorists, people who know little about Judaism and anti-Americans were more likely to be antisemitic.
“Trivialization of National Socialism”
However, younger people were found to have more pronounced antisemitic attitudes, although a higher level of formal education tends to protect against traditional antisemitism. Not only with regard to Israel-related antisemitism – especially after the terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023 – but also with regard to other statements, young people agreed more often than older people. For example, around 15 percent of those under 25 years of age were of the opinion that many things are exaggerated in reports about concentration camps.
The statement “Given Israel's policies, I can well understand that people have something against Jews” was agreed with by 31 percent of respondents, either completely or somewhat, which corresponds to an increase of eight percentage points. The statement “The Israelis basically treat the Palestinians no differently than the Germans treated the Jews in the Second World War” also received more agreement, with 35 percent (2022: 30 percent). For project coordinator Thomas Stern, such statements are “definitely a trivialization of National Socialism.”
Antisemitism far more pronounced among people of Arabic and Turkish origin
As in the previous two years, antisemitism was far more pronounced among people with roots in Turkey or an Arabic-speaking country. And there were far more negative prejudices among people with strong patriarchal thinking. But antisemitism is also on the rise among people with university degrees. Eva Zeglovits from the Institute for Empirical Social Research (Ifes) sees one cause – especially among younger people – in media consumption. Young people hardly consume traditional media anymore, but mainly get their information from social networks, which often reinforce conspiracy myths, for example.
For Stern, the alarming results among young people are above all a mandate for the education system. “Holocaust education needs to be completely rethought,” he says. Austria has done a lot in terms of teaching, “but I don't think it's enough anymore.” It is up to politicians to ensure that the Holocaust and its effects on the present are included in the curriculum, because “antisemitism lives on.”
Rosenkranz open to Holocaust center
President of the National Council Rosenkranz also sees “one or two things that could be improved” in school education about the Holocaust, and not only in the education department. He is also open-minded about the idea of a Holocaust center, as proposed by the Jewish Community Vienna (IKG), which, according to the government program, should at least receive a feasibility study. In this regard, it is also “very important to have a localized opportunity, especially in Vienna,” said Stern.
In principle, Rosenkranz was pleased that the parliamentary study on antisemitism will continue to be prepared. “The fact is that antisemitism continues to be a persistent danger for the cohesion of society and our fundamental state values,” warned the Freedom Party member. (APA, April 2, 2025)