There has been a sharp rise in the number of reported antisemitic incidents in New Zealand in the past few years. At the same time, the growth of social media has amplified antisemitic attitudes and given a platform to more extreme racial hatred towards Jewish people. More recently, misinformation around the pandemic has fuelled online conspiracy theories and led to a marked increase in circulating antisemitic memes to levels not seen in New Zealand for many decades.
But is this the voice of a loud but small minority? What do most New Zealanders really think about Jewish people? And with Jewish people making up just 0.2 percent of New Zealanders – fewer than 10,000 people according to the 2018 Census – do most New Zealanders even know a Jew?
New Zealanders were last surveyed about antisemitic views in 2014. This 2021 survey, supported with funding from the Ministry of Ethnic Communities, represents an extension to that work.
Antisemitism in New Zealand 2021 survey
Just over one thousand (1,017) New Zealanders over the age of 18 were questioned and had 18 internationally recognized statements put to them to measure the level of their antisemitic views.
For the purposes of the survey, antisemitism was defined in accordance with the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition. The statements were divided into classical antisemitic tropes, for example “Jews have too much control over the global media”, and statements reflecting more modern antisemitism and its conflation with Zionophobia (or anti-Israel sentiment, distinct from potentially valid criticism of Israel), for example “Israeli Government policies are similar to those of the Nazi regime”.
Overall findings
The Survey of Antisemitism in New Zealand 2021 found concerning levels of antisemitic sentiment which may be influenced to a greater or lesser degree by one of the following forms of antisemitism:
• Classical antisemitism that has a deep historical basis in religious discrimination and victimisation.
• Right-wing and nationalistic antisemtisim based on racial theory such as white supremacy and involving a variety of antisemitic conspiracy theories and tropes.
• Jihadist inspired antisemitism.
• Left-wing antisemitism which has emerged more recently and often manifests as Zionophobia.
Although one negative view alone does not identify the core values of an individual, a significant number hold multiple negative views which has concerning implications, 63% of New Zealanders surveyed agree with at least one antisemitic view and 6% hold nine or more antisemitic views out of the 18 questions posed to expose antisemitic views.
The survey was conducted online between 4 August and 7 August 2021 by Curia Research in accordance with the Research Association of New Zealand Code of Practice and the International Chamber of Commerce/ European Society for Opinion and Market Research Code on Market and Social Research. The results were audited by Dr Catherine Bentham. It is considered unlikely that conducting the survey online unfairly biased the results given that 94% of New Zealanders have Internet access.
