Survey Reveals Jewish Americans Feel Isolated Amid Rising Anti-Semitism Concerns
A recent poll indicates that many Jewish adults in America are feeling increasingly isolated and unrepresented, especially as concerns about anti-Semitism grow.
Conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, the survey of 1,022 Jewish adults highlights that a significant number view prejudice against Jews as a pressing issue. In fact, 63% of respondents described it as a “very” serious problem in the U.S. Interestingly, 77% believe this hostility has intensified over the last three years, particularly following the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
In contrast, only 38% of the general American adult population sees anti-Semitism as a severe problem.
As for political representation, 41% of Jewish adults expressed dissatisfaction with the Democratic Party’s support for their community, stating it was “not very well” or “not at all well.” Just 15% felt adequately supported by Democrats.
Interestingly, the poll shows that a large majority of Jewish Americans still identify as Democrats. In the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election, 66% voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris, while 33% chose President Donald Trump.
About 36% mentioned that strong support for Israel is very important to them. Yahm Levin, a Jewish Democrat from Los Angeles, expressed a sense of discomfort in left-wing circles, saying, “I just want to be a Jewish American with ties to Israel. But I don’t think that’s possible. And it’s very frustrating. And it’s a little scary, too.”
On the local political front, New York Mayor Zoran Mamdani, who identifies as a democratic socialist and is a critic of Israel, seems to have more favor among Jewish adults compared to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump. About 44% of Jewish adults view Mamdani positively, whereas polls show that 60% have a negative view of Netanyahu, with Trump receiving a favorable rating of just 29%.
Moreover, the survey indicates that Jewish adults perceive the Republican Party as slightly more supportive of Jewish interests than the Democratic Party, with 21% feeling that Trump effectively supported Jewish communities.
It’s worth noting that many Jewish adults interviewed clarified that their Jewish identity does not necessitate unconditional support for Israel from the U.S. government. Strikingly, 40% believe that the U.S. supports Israel too much, while 30% think it doesn’t support Israel enough.
The survey was conducted between June 11 and June 17, encompassing 3,040 adults, 1,022 of whom identified as Jewish. Respondents were categorized as Jewish if they identified their religion as such or if they viewed themselves as Jewish due to cultural or familial connections. The overall margin of error for the poll is plus or minus 2.8 percentage points, while it is 5.0 percentage points for Jewish respondents.
