Eurispes, antisemitism has not yet been overcome

Eurispes, antisemitism has not yet been overcome

«You are symbolically my grandchildren», this is how, in her last public speech, Senator for life Liliana Segre urged young people not to forget, entrusting them to bear witness to the Shoah. And precisely on the occasion of the anniversary of the rounding up of the Jewish Ghetto in Rome (October 16, 1943), Eurispes is relaunching the results of the survey contained in the Italy Report 2020, to once again draw attention to the delicate problem of antisemitism, the Holocaust and a dangerous loss of knowledge of our most recent history.

Jews and stereotypes: results of Eurispes survey. 15.6% deny the Shoah

Eurispes therefore wanted to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of biased and suspicious attitudes still unfortunately associated with the Jewish people today.

A minority, but still significant part of the Italian population, cultivates antisemitic prejudices even today, up to positions of denialism concerning the Shoah.

In relation to the statement that the Jewish Holocaust never happened, the share of those who agree stands at 15.6% (with 4.5% even very much agreeing and 11.1% somewhat agreeing), compared to 84.4% disagreeing (67.3% not at all, 17.1% not very much). In contrast, the statement that the Holocaust did not produce as many victims as claimed finds only a slightly higher percentage of agreement: 16.1% (5.5% agree very much), while disagreement reaches 83.8% (with 64.9% agreeing not at all and 18.9% agreeing slightly).

Would Jews control economic and financial power? This statement garners general disagreement among Italians: 76% (39.6% not at all agree and 36.4% not very much), however, there is no shortage of those who are of this opinion: 23.9% (18.9% “quite” and 5% “very” agree). Jews, on the other hand, would control the media in the opinion of more than one-fifth of Italians surveyed (22.2%; 4.3% very much, 17.9% quite a bit), while the opponents come to 77.7% (with 46.4% completely disagreeing). The thesis that Jews determine American political choices meets with the highest percentage of support, although it remains in the minority: 26.4%, compared to 73.6% opposing views.

Conspiracists and deniers from right to left with different intensities

The claim that Jews control economic and financial power finds above-average agreement among respondents who are politically situated on the center-right (33.3%) and right (31%), less so among those on the center (7.7%) and left (17.2%). Similar results are found over the alleged control of the media by Jews, on which voters on the right (30.5%) and center-right (29.7%) mostly agree, less so among those on the center (7.7%) and left (12.4%). As for the decisive influence of Jews on American political decisions, the thesis finds support mainly among voters of the Movimento 5 Stelle (33.5%) and right (31.8%) and center-right (31.8%) voters. The belief that the Holocaust never took place sees the highest percentage of those in agreement (fairly or very much) among center-left voters (23.5%). Revisionists are found to be more numerous than average on the left – for 23.3% the Jewish Holocaust really happened, but produced fewer victims than is usually claimed – and in the center (23%).

2004-2020: on the rise those who think the Holocaust never happened (from 2.7% to 15.6%)

More than 15 years later, when comparing with the first survey conducted by Eurispes on these same issues, the percentage of Italians according to whom Jews determine American political choices is lower today: from 30.4% to 26.4%. In 2004, for more than a third of the sample (34.1%) Jews covertly controlled economic and financial power as well as the media, while today the percentage is less than a quarter. On the other hand, the number of citizens according to whom the extermination at the hands of the Nazis of the Jews never took place is increasing: from 2.7% to 15.6%. Those who downplay its extent (from 11.1% to 16.1%) also turn out to be on the rise, although to a less striking extent.

Antisemitism: violent incidents are isolated cases, but there is a problem of widespread language based on hatred and racism. The alarm comes from young people.

According to the majority of Italians, recent incidents of antisemitism are isolated cases that do not indicate a real problem of antisemitism in our country (61.7%). At the same time, 60.6% believe that these incidents are the consequence of widespread language based on hatred and racism. For less than half of the sample (47.5%), acts of antisemitism that have also occurred in Italy are a sign of a dangerous resurgence of the phenomenon. For 37.2%, on the other hand, they are shenanigans enacted out of provocation or as a joke.

Younger citizens are less likely to define antisemitic incidents as isolated cases: less than half of 18-24 year olds (46.7%) and 50.8% of 25-34 year olds do so; the share reaches 55.7% among 35-44 year olds, rising to 69.5% among 45-64 year olds and 68.9% from 65 years old and up. Those aged 18-24 consider antisemitic acts as a consequence of widespread hate speech and racism more frequently than average: 67.6%, compared with values around 60% in the other age groups. Between the ages of 35 and 44 there is the highest share of those who consider antisemitic incidents that occurred in Italy shenanigans enacted out of provocation or as a joke (41%); among the more mature, on the contrary, there is the lowest share (34.1%). It is always the youngest who see antisemitic crimes as a sign of a dangerous resurgence of antisemitism in Italy and not just sporadic and isolated acts: more than half (57.1%) think so, compared with 49.2% of 25-34 year-olds, 47.1% of 35- 44 year-olds, 45.4% of 45-64 year-olds and 45.7% of the over-65s.

Political soul of the Italian

Which statements would best express the political soul of the majority of Italians? Finding a fair amount of agreement among respondents is the statement that “many people think that Mussolini was a great leader who only made a few mistakes” (19.8%). With close percentages of agreement, “Italians are not fascists but they like strong personalities” (14.3%), “we are a predominantly right-wing people” (14.1%), “many Italians are fascists” (12.8%), and, finally, “order and discipline are values much loved by Italians” (12.7%) follow. More than one in four Italians (26.2%) do not share any of the views presented, thus completely distancing themselves from a certain image of the citizens of our country.