44% of Jewish students don't feel safe on their own campus: Poll
93 percent of those polled ‘recognize antisemitism as a problem.’
‘44% of Jewish students report never or rarely feeling safe identifying as a Jew at their school,’ the poll also found.
Almost half of college students say that they feel unsafe identifying as Jewish on campuses, according to a new poll.
The poll was conducted by Alums for Campus Fairness, a group that “harnesses the unique power of alumni to counter antisemitism and the demonization of Israel on college and university campuses across the nation.”
1,171 Jewish college students and “recent grads” were polled regarding anti-Semitism on college campuses.
[RELATED: George Washington University suspends anti-Israel student groups until 2025 over disruptive demonstrations]
Almost everyone surveyed–93 percent–continue to “recognize antisemitism as a problem.” The number of students and recent graduates who believe anti-Semitism is a “very serious problem” surged by nine points from 2021 to 2024, for a total of 83 percent of those surveyed.
The report also states that “44% of Jewish students report never or rarely feeling safe identifying as a Jew at their school,” a percentage that has gone up by 21 percent since 2021.
Additionally, 78 percent of the Jewish students and graduates surveyed said that they “avoided certain places, events, or situations at school” because of their Jewish identity.
More than half–58 percent–stated that “they or someone they know was physically threatened on campus for being Jewish.”
Speaking of the survey’s results, Executive Director for Alums for Campus Fairness, Avi D. Gordon, commented: “It doesn’t take a survey to tell us that Jewish and pro-Israel students faced significant challenges during the 2023-2024 academic year. We are all too familiar with the high-profile antisemitic attacks and palpable climate of fear that tragically engulfed so many of our nation’s colleges and universities.”
“The results [of the poll], compared with our 2021 survey, expose dangerous trend lines for Jewish and pro-Israel students on college campuses. Antisemitism is getting worse. Students are hiding their Jewish identity. We are increasingly seeing a lack of safety in both digital and physical spaces,” he continued.
[RELATED: Pro-Hamas student groups plan to continue protests at universities nationwide]
Previous polls have also shown heightened perceptions of anti-Semitism on many college and university campuses following Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre.
Recent research from Brandeis University researchers, for example, demonstrated that roughly 33 percent of non-Jewish students polled on college campuses held antagonistic and negative views against Jews or Israel.
Campus Reform has contacted Alums for Campus Fairness for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
