22% of the youth and young persons in the country demonstrate a hostile attitude towards the Jewish People even though three quarters of them have never had any direct connection or contact with any Jewish people.
This is the fact that emerges from a public opinion survey carried out by the IARD Research Institute on behalf of Conference of Presidents of the Provinces and Autonomous Regions. The results of the survey were presented at a session of Parliament which was dealing with the subject of hatred of foreigners and racist phenomena in 2010. The research focused on young Italians and their attitude towards racism. It emerges from the survey that two out of ten young persons have anti-Semitic views. Within this antisemitic core, 6% of the youngsters are defined as extreme antisemites, and therefore with them the flinching from and objection to Jews is expressed in stronger terms.
In this regard a positive item of data can be added, which is that almost half of the number of young Italian boys and girls (47%) demonstrate a sympathetic attitude towards Jews and 31% demonstrate a moderate attitude towards them. The interesting data is that it is applicable among Italian youngsters generally, in that 71% have had no direct contact or connection with Jews as they have not had an opportunity of doing so. Only 7% of them have formed their opinion out of rationalistic motives.
Of the youngsters who show an antisemitic attitude and who have had previous contact (24%), 30% emphasized that the nature of such contact was negative, as opposed to 32% who demonstrate positive feelings as a result of such contact, and 38% who do not classify the nature of the contact in one way or another.
But who are these under 30 young antisemites? And what is the source of the intolerance. We are talking in the main about males who were questioned (60%) who belong for the most part to the over 18 group. As regards the geographical location, it appears that the North is more infected by an antipathy towards the Jews. This hostility is more ingrained in the North than in other regions of the country and is expressed in the views of 43% of local young people.
With regard to the level of education: it appears that almost 60% of those questioned are either students or holders of university degrees. Their hostility is expressed in claims that the Jews show loyalty to their religious world more than to the country in which they live. This is the view of 38% of the hostile youngsters (this figure exceeds 51% among the extreme Antisemites).
As opposed to this, 21% are not convinced that the Jews have had a negative influence on Christian culture and religion.
The intolerance and hostility of the under-30s can be explained by introversion and non-acceptance of those who are different, in relation to certain situations. First and foremost the attitude that prevails with regard to the marriage of a daughter with a Jew (51%) and when referring to a male (48%) and further, the data that is evidence of the objection to employment in a place belonging to or managed by a Jewish Manager (38%) as opposed to (29%) of young persons who have enjoyed the friendship of Jewish colleagues at work. Finally, with regard to the attitude towards Jewish neighbors this is also not positive but it is slightly more tolerant (35%) as well as the objection to sitting down to eat at a common table (29%). It should obviously be pointed out that the feelings of dissatisfaction, objection and hostility, are greater among extreme Antisemites.
