Left, Right, and Antisemitism in European Public Opinion Cover Image

Left, Right, and Antisemitism in European Public Opinion
Left, Right, and Antisemitism in European Public Opinion

Author(s): Jeffrey H. Cohen
Subject(s): Politics and society, History of Antisemitism
Published by: Центар за проучавање религије и верску толеранцију
Keywords: antisemitism; European public opinion; prejudice; political leftright continuum; anti-immigrant attitudes

Summary/Abstract: Antisemitism has long been found on both the political far-right and farleft. The recent rise in antisemitism worldwide raises the question of whether current antisemitism is found more with the far-right or far-left, the former a function of right-wing populism and the latter with what has been termed the new antisemitism. This paper uses data from the 2014 round of the European Social Survey in 20 nations to test for the connection between ideological selfplacement and antisemitic attitudes in mass publics. Analysis finds greater levels of antisemitism with the extreme far-right compared to the far-left, but extreme leftists appear slightly more antisemitic than moderate leftist. Further, there is less antisemitism than anti-Muslim and anti-Roma (Gypsy) attitudes at all positions on the left-right continuum. The conclusion puts the findings into context and suggests directions for future research.

  • Issue Year: XII/2018
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 341-371
  • Page Count: 31
  • Language: English