This report outlines the main findings of FRA’s second survey on Jewish people’s experiences with hate crime, discrimination and antisemitism in the European Union – the biggest survey of Jewish people ever conducted worldwide. Covering 12 EU Member States, the survey reached almost 16,500 individuals who identify as being Jewish. This report presents results from the third European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) survey among Jews in the EU on their lived experiences of antisemitism. The agency pledged to carry out a periodic survey on antisemitism at the 2021 Malmö International Forum on Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism. The survey follows FRA’s 2012 and 2018 surveys. The findings presented in this report provide policymakers and other actors in the field with evidence they can draw on to refine existing or devise new courses of action to combat antisemitism, ensure the security of Jewish communities and individuals and foster Jewish life. The important information provided herein can support policymakers across the EU in stepping up their efforts to ensure the safety and dignity of all Jewish people living in the EU. This survey took place before the Hamas attacks in October 2023 and the war in Gaza, however, it includes evidence from a consultation with national and European Jewish umbrella organisations on their experiences and a rise in antisemitism since. The data cover 13 Member States that together account for about 96 % of the EU’s Jewish population.
Authors
European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, EU body or agency
- Catalogue number
- TK-02-24-227-EN-N TK-02-24-227-EN-C
- Citation
- European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, Jewish people's experiences and perceptions of antisemitism – EU survey of Jewish people , Publications Office of the European Union, 2024, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2811/292167
- DOI
- https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2811/058304 https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2811/292167
- ISBN
- 978-92-9489-389-5
- Pages
- 00114
- Published in
- Belgium
- Size
- 6.4x297.0x210.0MM
- Themes
- Fundamental rights
- weight
- 346.0
Table of Contents
- Foreword 4
- Why this report? 9
- Survey in a nutshell 11
- Key findings and FRA opinions 16
- Manifestations of antisemitism 25
- 1.1. Key findings 25
- 1.2. How big a problem is antisemitism? 26
- 1.3. Manifestations of antisemitism affecting the Jewish community 29
- 1.4. Prevalence and context of antisemitism encountered 31
- 1.5. Assessing the antisemitic nature of selected opinions or actions of non-Jews 37
- Online antisemitic content 41
- 2.1. Key findings 41
- 2.2. Comparison of online and offline antisemitism 42
- 2.3. Characteristics of online antisemitic content 45
- Safety and security 54
- 3.1. Key findings 54
- 3.2. Safety and security concerns 55
- 3.3. Influence of events in the Middle East on Jewish life in the European Union 61
- Violence against Jews – experiences of harassment and physical violence 66
- 4.1. Key findings 66
- 4.2. Experiences of antisemitic harassment 69
- 4.3. Experiences of antisemitic physical violence 76
- Experiences of discrimination because of being Jewish 78
- 5.1. Key findings 78
- 5.2. Discrimination experiences 78
- Reporting antisemitism 83
- 6.1. Key findings 83
- 6.2. Reporting rates 84
- 6.3. Reasons for not reporting antisemitic incidents in different contexts 85
- Limitations on Jewish life 88
- 7.1. Key findings 88
- 7.2. Limitations on traditional religious practices 89
- 7.3. Responses to limitations – actions taken or considered 93
- 7.4. Assessment of governmental actions 95
- Annex 98
- Figure 1: Perceived change in antisemitism over the past 5 years, by Member State (%) 28
- Figure 2: Perceived change in antisemitism and anti-Muslim intolerance over the past 5 years, 11-country average, 2023 and 2018 comparison (%) 29
- Figure 3: Assessment of manifestations of antisemitism as problematic, 11-country average, 2023 and 2018 comparison (%) 31
- Figure 4: Manifestations of antisemitism encountered in the 12 months before the survey, 13-country average (%) 33
- Figure 5: Encounters of any manifestation of antisemitism in the 12 months before the survey, by Member State (%) 34
- Figure 6: Context where respondents encountered offline antisemitism in the 12 months before the survey, 13-country average (%) 36
- Figure 7: Context where respondents encountered offline antisemitism in the 12 months before the survey, 11-country average, 2023 and 2018 comparison (%) 37
- Figure 8: Assessment of certain opinions or actions of non-Jews as being ‘definitely’ or ‘probably’ antisemitic, 11-country average, 2023 and 2018 comparison (%) 39
- Figure 9: Encountering antisemitism online and offline in the 12 months before the survey, 13-country average (%) 43
- Figure 10: Frequency of encountering antisemitism in the last 12 months among those who experienced antisemitism online and offline, by Member State (%) 44
- Figure 11: Platform where respondents encountered the last incident of online antisemitism, by Member State (%) 47
- Figure 12: Respondents reporting the last antisemitic online incident to the platform involved, by platform, 13-country average (%) 50
- Figure 13: Impact of online antisemitism, by Member State (%) 52
- Figure 14: Worries about becoming a victim of verbal insults, harassment or physical attack in the next 12 months because of being Jewish, by Member State (%) 56
- Figure 15: Worries about becoming a victim of verbal insults, harassment or physical attack in the next 12 months because of being Jewish, 11-country average, 2023 and 2018 comparison (%) 57
- Figure 16: Respondents avoiding wearing symbols that could make them recognisable in public and not wearing any because of safety concerns, by Member State (%) 58
- Figure 17: Respondents avoiding wearing symbols that could make them recognisable as Jewish in public and reasons for not wearing symbols, 11-country average, 2023 and 2018 comparison (%) 59
- Figure 18: Avoidance of Jewish events and certain places in the neighbourhood because they do not feel safe as Jews, by Member State (%) 60
- Figure 19: Avoidance of places in the neighbourhood or of Jewish events because of safety concerns, 11-country average, 2023 and 2018 comparison (%) 61
- Figure 20: Arab–Israeli conflict’s impact on feeling of safety, by Member State (%) 63
- Figure 21: Feeling blamed for the Israeli government’s actions, by Member State (%) 64
- Figure 22: Experience of antisemitic harassment (one or more times) in the 12 months before the survey, 13-country average (%) 69
- Figure 23: Experience of any form of antisemitic harassment (one or more times) online or offline in the 12 months prior to the survey, by Member State (%) 70
- Figure 24: Experience of antisemitic harassment (one or more times) in the 12 months before the survey, 11-country average, 2023 and 2018 comparison (%) 71
- Figure 25: Experience of antisemitic harassment in the 12 months prior to the survey, overall and by selected characteristic, 13-country average (%) 73
- Figure 26: Frequency of antisemitic harassment, by form, 13-country average (%) 75
- Figure 27: Experience of antisemitic physical attacks (one or more times) in the 12 months and 5 years prior to the survey, by Member State (%) 76
- Figure 28: Respondents who felt discriminated against because of being Jewish or because of their religious beliefs in the past 12 months, by Member State (%) 79
- Figure 29: Respondents who felt discriminated against because of being Jewish or religious beliefs in the past 12 months, by situation, 13-country average (%) 80
- Figure 30: Specific experiences of respondents who were in paid work or in school/university in the 12 months prior to the survey, 13-country average (%) 81
- Figure 31: Organisation that respondents reported antisemitic incident to, by context, 13-country average (%) 87
- Figure 32: Respondents who had heard non-Jewish people suggest that circumcision and/or traditional slaughter should be prohibited in their country of residence, by Member State (%) 90
- Figure 33: Respondents for whom prohibition of circumcision or traditional slaughter would be a problem, by Member State (%) 91
- Figure 34: Respondents who had heard non-Jewish people suggest that circumcision and/or traditional slaughter be prohibited in their country of residence and respondents for whom prohibition of circumcision or traditional slaughter would be a problem, 11- 92
- Figure 35: Respondents who emigrated or considered emigration in the 5 years prior to the survey, by reason, 13-country average (%) 93
- Figure 36: Respondents who emigrated or considered emigration in the 5 years prior to the survey, by Member State (%) 94
- Table 1: Assessment of whether social and political issues are a problem, by Member State (%) 27
- Table 2: Assessment of certain opinions or actions of non-Jews as being ‘definitely’ or ‘probably’ antisemitic, by Member State (%) 38
- Table 3: Specific experiences of respondents who were in paid work in the 12 months prior to the survey, by Member State (%) 82
- Table 4: Specific experiences of respondents who were in school/university in the 12 months prior to the survey, by Member State (%) 82
- Table 5: Reporting of incidents of antisemitism, by context and Member State (%) 85
- Table 6: Satisfaction with governmental actions supporting the Jewish community, by Member State (%) 96
- Table 7: Achieved sample size (unweighted and weighted) and population estimate, by Member State 100
- Table 8: Sociodemographic characteristics, by Member State (%) 102
- Table 9: Characteristics related to Jewish identity and traditions, by Member State (%) 105
