Establishing a framework to measure antisemitic sentiment

Most of the survey materials included in our synopsis focus primarily on measuring the prevalence of what are considered more “common” antisemitic notions, beliefs, conspiracy theories and stereotypes broadly accepted in populations across the globe. These queries probe egregious, ubiquitous, familiar, and “traditional” antisemitic tropes which include perceptions of Jews as noxious, alien, and disloyal; dangerously powerful; malevolently controlling of global politics and international affairs; and fomenters of war, disease, poverty, corruption, and other forms of human misery.  

As explained below, various experts like Daniel Goldhagen and Robert Wistrich have observed that most of these surveys on antisemitism can, for a variety of reasons, be extremely limited in their purview for measuring antisemitism, and can often underestimate the full extent of global antisemitism, or the intensity of such views within those that embrace it. In many cases these surveys do not probe entire areas of antisemitic sentiment related to theology and worldview. But for the purposes of this section there are benefits to the methodology of focusing on the more limited exploration of the standard tropes of global Jew-hatred as listed above.  

Antisemitism has certain unique complexities, and while certain modes of antisemitism are more readily identifiable, others are much more difficult to discern. Our focus on the more easily identifiable calumnies against Jews therefore is designed to provide the reader with a mapping of global antisemitism whose contours we believe are more easily identifiable and largely uncontroversial by the standards of most people. 

Continue Reading:Quantifying a “uniquely complex” and misunderstood prejudice

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