A new study released by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Center for Antisemitism Research (CAR) in collaboration with the educational group Boundless has found that brief messages emphasizing the widespread rejection of antisemitism can enhance young Americans’ ability to identify and report online antisemitic content. The research highlights the challenge many young adults face in recognizing hate speech targeted at Jews and offers insights into potential educational strategies.
The study, titled "Bridging the Gap: What Young Americans Miss About Online Antisemitism," surveyed 7,499 Americans aged 18 to 44 from across the country between July 9 and July 17. The participants included 3,043 individuals from Generation Z (ages 18-29) and 4,456 Millennials (ages 30-44), with political affiliations spanning Democrats, Republicans, and independents. Using real examples of social media posts containing classical and contemporary antisemitic themes—including religious slurs, right-wing accusations of "treason," and rhetoric linked to Israel and Zionism—researchers tested the efficacy of six short educational messages designed to influence both recognition and reporting of antisemitic content.
Results showed that a significant portion of young adults struggled to identify antisemitism, even in explicit examples. Among those who received no educational intervention, between 22% and 29% did not recognize classical antisemitic posts as hateful, with this figure rising to 32% to 37% for posts relating to Israel and Zionism. The study also found that participants were generally less willing to report offensive material to social media platforms than to simply recognize it.
Of the six messages tested, only a social norming message—one that stated survey results showing 82% of Americans support removing antisemitic hate speech online and 77% back government action—produced statistically significant increases in both recognizing and reporting antisemitic posts. Participants exposed to this message were approximately 5.6% to 6.9% more likely to identify and report various forms of antisemitism, including right-wing, left-wing, and nonpartisan examples.
Matt Williams, vice president of ADL's CAR, described the impact as moderate but meaningful given the ease of scaling such messaging. He noted that even a modest increase in recognition and reporting could lead to substantial reductions in antisemitic content across millions of online interactions.
The study also revealed generational differences: while Millennials were somewhat better at recognizing antisemitism, Gen Z members who identified hate speech were more likely to report it. Political independents showed notable gains in recognition when presented with a message explaining how antisemitism leverages scapegoating and conspiracy theories, improving their ability to detect antisemitism by 10-11%.
The research underscored the importance of prioritizing recognition of antisemitism as a prerequisite for reporting and response. It recommended focusing educational efforts on contemporary forms of antisemitism, particularly those involving language related to Israel and Zionism. Generic informational or emotional narratives were found to be less effective, whereas social norming campaigns and disinformation awareness tools showed the most promise.
Aviva Klompas, co-founder and CEO of Boundless, emphasized the need for evidence-based approaches to counter online antisemitism, noting that merely documenting abuse is insufficient. She highlighted the finding that reminding users social media engagement does not reflect broader public opinion helped reduce the perceived acceptability of antisemitism. Klompas also pointed to the potential value in helping individuals recognize manipulative tactics used by antisemitic conspiracy theories.
The ADL continues to engage with technology platforms to share these findings and explore how they can be incorporated into efforts to mitigate antisemitic hate online.