Nearly a third of Canadians believe antisemitism has become more acceptable, survey finds

Nearly one-third of Canadians believe that antisemitism or anti-Jewish attitudes are becoming more acceptable in the country, according to a new poll.

The Leger survey, conducted on behalf of the Association for Canadian Studies, found that 31 per cent held that view, while the highest level of agreement was concentrated among university students (37 per cent), men (38 per cent) and Canadians between the ages of 18 and 34 (35 per cent). English speakers were more than twice (35 per cent) as likely to agree with the statement as opposed to just 16 per cent of Francophones.

Slightly over a fifth (22 per cent) of Canadians agreed that “Israel’s military actions in Gaza justify negative attitudes toward Jewish people in Canada,” as opposed to nearly half (49 per cent) of respondents who disagreed. Canadians aged 18 to 34 (26 per cent) and men (29 per cent) were most likely to agree with the statement.

“The findings suggest that condemnation alone has not been enough. While many leaders have denounced antisemitism since October 7, the survey shows that a significant minority of Canadians still believe that events in the Middle East justify negative attitudes toward Jewish Canadians,” Jack Jedwab, president of the Association for Canadian Studies, told National Post in a written statement.

Roughly one-sixth (17 per cent) of Canadians surveyed agreed that they have become more negative toward Jews since the October 7 terrorist attacks on Israel, while a majority (62 per cent) disagreed with the statement. Women (68 per cent), college students (66 per cent) and Canadians over 55 (69 per cent) were the most likely to disagree with the statement. Those born outside of Canada were more likely to agree (24 per cent) than respondents born in the country (16 per cent).

A similar split was seen on the question of whether “Jews in Canada are responsible for the actions of the Israeli government.” Nine per cent of all respondents and eight per cent of people born in Canada agreed, while nearly twice the number of respondents born outside of the country (15 per cent) agreed. Strong majorities of respondents born in Canada (73 per cent) and outside the country (62 per cent) disagreed with the statement.

“It suggests that public education should not only focus on people who hold openly antisemitic views, but also on the much larger group that may not recognize when criticism about Israel becomes rhetoric that targets Jews and that presents a threat to Jewish Canadians’ sense of safety and belonging,” Jedwab said.

The survey also found that over a third (39 per cent) of Canadians agree that calls for Israel to cease to exist are antisemitic, but slightly over a quarter (28 per cent) disagree. Younger Canadians between the ages of 18 and 34 were far less likely (34 per cent) than Canadians over 55 (47 per cent) to agree that such sentiments are antisemitic.

There were few meaningful differences Leger found on this question between English speakers and Francophones, 39 per cent versus 40 per cent, respectively, and those born in Canada (39 per cent) and abroad (41 per cent).

“The importance of the minority who don’t think it is antisemitic to say that Israel should cease to exist as a state is very worrisome and I think speaks to some nefarious motivation on the one hand and a fair degree of confusion on the other and in either there is an important degree of unlearning that is needed,” Jedwab wrote.

“That, along with the share of the group that is uncertain about the issue, points to a glaring misunderstanding about where antisemitism begins. It reveals that many Canadians are unclear about the distinction between criticism of Israeli government policy and rhetoric that denies Jewish self-determination altogether.”

Over a third (39 per cent) of respondents felt that Prime Minister Mark Carney “should publicly condemn calls for Israel to cease to exist as a state,” while just under a quarter (24 per cent) disagreed.

The survey of 1,518 respondents in Canada was conducted by Leger between June 5 and 7. A margin of error cannot be associated with a non-probability sample in a panel survey for comparison purposes. A probability sample of 1,518 respondents would have a margin of error no greater than plus or minus 2.5 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

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