The FINANCIAL — A couple of weeks ago, some excellent content appeared on the World Wide Web – the global survey of anti-Semitic attitudes, known as ADL Global 100.
While this study is the most comprehensive assessment ever of anti-Semitic attitudes, accounting for about 88 percent of the world’s total adult population and easily reachable via http://global100.adl.org/, I will draw your attention only to global averages (findings) and will separately analyse these findings from ex-Soviet Union countries that shared the same historic legacy and underwent decades of the same ideological demonization.
In the next issue of this newspaper, I will present analysis on existing anti-Semitic feelings worldwide and in the region, but first, let me say that based on the survey findings, one-quarter of Earth’s population is infected with anti-Semitic attitudes. In addressing this finding, ADL National Director Abraham H. Foxman said: “For the first time we have a real sense of how pervasive and persistent anti-Semitism is today around the world.”
Nevertheless, in the below text I will focus on two interesting issues – attitudes towards Jews and Israel, and awareness and knowledge of the Holocaust.
What do we think about Jews and Israel?
It is thought that in the VIII century B.C., the old Georgian capital Mtskheta hosted the very first Jews. Over the centuries both ethnic Georgians and Georgian Jews enjoyed the same rights and fought arm to arm against various foreign invaders or local feudal rulers and the like. NB. One of the best translations of Shakespeare from the original language to Georgian was done by the Georgian Jew Djemal Adjiashvili, whose name was given to one of the nicest streets in old Tbilisi. No doubt, many readers of this column have climbed to the Botanical garden from this street.
Not surprisingly, Georgia ranks the first country among ex-Soviet states with the highest net favourable rating towards Jews. When it comes to favourability towards Israel, Ukraine tops the list with 67% and Georgia follows with 53%. Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are two countries with predominately Muslim populations (94% and 70%, respectively) but Azerbaijan certainly holds less positive attitudes towards both Jews and Israel compared to Kazakhstan and other countries as described in the Chart 1. Interestingly, among the ex-Soviet population, average favourability opinion for Jews is 12 percentage points higher compared to the same sentiments toward Israel.
Holocaust
Only 54% of those polled globally have ever heard of the Holocaust. That figure drops to 24% in sub-Saharan Africa and 38% in the Middle East and North Africa. Awareness of the Holocaust is significantly higher in the ex-Soviet bloc – 71%. However, citizens of Kazakhstan and all three South Caucasus countries have lower awareness of the Holocaust compared to the global average of 54%.
Worldwide, younger people are less aware of the Holocaust (48% under 35 years) compared to the older cohorts of the world population (61% of respondents who are 50 years and older).
Globally, among those who have heard of the Holocaust, 32% believe it is either a myth or has been greatly exaggerated. In the ex-Soviet bloc, this figure is ten percentage point lower – 23% and it is even lower in Georgia 17%.
Globally, every third (33%) respondent is confident in historical accounts and believes that the number of Jews who died in it have been described fairly by history. Among ex-Soviet respondents, this number is almost double, accounting for 60%.
The Anti-Defamation League commissioned First International Resources to research attitudes and opinions toward Jews in more than 100 countries around the world.
Fieldwork and data collection for this global public opinion project were conducted and coordinated by Anzalone Liszt Grove Research. GORBI is proud to be responsible for data collection in most of the ex-Soviet countries. 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 Palestinian Territories in the West Bank & Gaza. Expected margin of sampling error for the weighted global average is +/- 0.97%. In an overwhelming majority of the countries/territories polled, the samples are fully nationally representative.
As a regional hub for partner organizations and international clients, since 2003, GORBI is the only Georgian member of the Gallup International research network to have over two decades of experience in survey research in post-Soviet Union countries, as well as Mongolia and Iraq.
Discussion about this post