Holocaust Awareness and Denial Levels Around the World

In 2014, the Anti-Defamation League commissioned First International Resources to research attitudes and opinions toward Jews in more than 100 countries around the world. The ADL survey asked citizens of the world their attitudes on the following statements:

1) Jews are more loyal to Israel than to [this country/the countries they live in].
2) Jews have too much power in the business world.
3) Jews have too much power in international financial markets.
4) Jews don't care about what happens to anyone but their own kind.
5) Jews have too much control over global affairs.
6) People hate Jews because of the way Jews behave.
7) Jews think they are better than other people.
8) Jews have too much control over the United States government.
9) Jews have too much control over the global media.
10) Jews still talk too much about what happened to them in the Holocaust.
11) Jews are responsible for most of the world's wars.

26% of the respondents (or 1.9 billion people who responded) to the survey agreed with 6 of the 11 negative stereotypes. 35% of those surveyed had never heard of the Holocaust. In sub-sarahan Africa, only 24% of individuals have heard of the Holocaust. In Eastern Europe, only 82% of those surveyed have heard of the Holocaust. Of those who had heard of the Holocaust, 32% of those surveyed believe it has been exaggerated greatly or is a myth.

The largest region with antisemitic attitudes was the Middle East/North Africa, where 74% of those surveyed agreed with 6 of the 11 stereotypes. In Eastern Europe, 34% agreed with 6 of the 11 stereotypes.

In eastern Europe, the countries that harbor the most antisemitism per the survey results included Poland, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia and Hungary.

In western Europe, Greece and France harbored extremely high levels of antisemitism.

In North and South America, Panama and the Dominican Republic held extremely high levels of antisemitism.

In the Middle East and North Africa, Gaza/West Bank and Iraq had extremely high levels of antisemitism.

The top countries with antisemitic views, per the survey, are as follows: 1) West Bank/Gaza at 93%; 2) Iraq at 92%; 3) Yemen, Algeria and Libya at 88%; 6) Tunisia at 86%; 7) Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan at 82%; 10) Morocco, Qatar and UAE at 80%; 13) Lebanon at 78%; 14) Oman at 76%; 15) Egypt at 75%; 16) Saudi Arabia at 74%; 17) Greece and Turkey at 69%; 19) Malaysia at 61%; 20) Armenia at 58%; 21) Iran at 56%; 22) Senegal and South Korea at 53%; 24) Panama at 52%; 25) Indonesia at 48%; 26) Poland, Bulgaria and Mauritius at 44%; 29) Serbia at 42%; 30) Colombia, Hungary and Dominican Republic at 41%; 33) Belarus, South Africa, Ukraine, and Peru at 38%; 37) France, Chile and Azerbaijan at 37%.

Additional survey information is available at http://global100.adl.org/#map

Respondents consistently overestimated the world's Jewish population. 48% of those surveyed believe that Jews make up more than 1% of the world population. 18% of those surveyed believe that Jews make up more than 10% of the world population.

In the United States, per the USHMM, 41% of American adults do not know what Auschwitz is.

52% of Americans wrongly believe Hitler came to power through force -- when he was, in fact, appointed to his position.

41% of young Americans think that 2 million or fewer Jews were killed in the Holocaust. In reality, 6 million Jews were killed.

Fieldwork and data collection for this global public opinion project were conducted and coordinated by Anzalone Liszt Grove Research. All interviews were conducted between July 2013 and February 2014. The data is a result of 53,100 total interviews among citizens aged 18 and over, across 101 countries and the West Bank and Gaza.

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