New polling from YouGov for the Economist sheds light on where Americans stand on the issue of antisemitism in the United States.
Americans were asked how serious of a problem antisemitism is in the country today. Among respondents, 25% said it is a very serious problem, while another 33% said it is somewhat serious.
On the other hand, 16% of Americans said antisemitism is a minor problem, and 7% said it is not a problem at all.
Democrats are more likely to see antisemitism as a serious issue, with 65% saying it is either a very serious or somewhat serious issue. Republicans were only slightly less likely to agree, with 62% saying as much.
Independents were the least likely to say antisemitism is a problem, with 49% saying so. However, this lower share is partly due to a higher share of independents reporting that they were unsure (26%) about the issue.
The pollster also asked Americans how serious they believe antisemitism is on American college campuses. While 58% said antisemitism is a problem in general, a smaller share (48%) said it is a problem specifically on college campuses.
Republicans were much more likely to say it's a problem on American campuses, with 61% agreeing, compared to 44% of Democrats and 41% of independents.
Once again, independents were the most likely to say they were unsure, with 31% indicating as much.
However, the most concerning part of the survey wasn't whether Americans believe antisemitism is a problem, but rather how they define what constitutes antisemitism. Whether due to ignorance or bigotry, the share of Americans who failed to recognize classically antisemitic statements is cause for alarm.
