More than 60% of American Jews say they feel less secure than a year ago, new survey says

By Nicole Chavez, CNN

(CNN) — At least 63% of American Jews said their place in American society is less secure than a year ago, according to a new report released Tuesday by the American Jewish Committee.

The “State of Antisemitism in America 2023 Report” was commissioned by the advocacy group and is based on a survey conducted between October 5 and November 21 by research company, SSRS.

The share of American Jews who said the status of Jews in the United States has become less secure increased 22 percentage points when compared to last year’s survey. Only 3% of American Jews said it had become more secure and 34% said they felt it was about the same as the prior year, according to the survey.

The survey, which was based on the perceptions of a nationally representative sample of 1,528 Jews ages 18 or older, was conducted online and via phone interviews. The American Jewish Committee has commissioned a survey on the state of antisemitism in the US annually since 2019. The margin of error for the total respondents is +/-3.2 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

Respondents were surveyed on several issues, including their personal experiences with antisemitism.

Nearly half of American Jews said they think antisemitism is taken less seriously than other forms of hate and bigotry, according to the survey.

The survey found that in the past year, 46% of American Jews have taken some precautions or avoided certain actions – posting content online, wearing clothing that would identify them as Jews or going to certain places out of concern for their safety.  That’s compared to 38% of American Jews in 2022, according to the advocacy organization.

In a statement, Ted Deutch, CEO of the American Jewish Committee, urged the country to act immediately against antisemitism.

“No one should be fearful of being targeted or harassed for being Jewish when walking down the street, going to school, or being at work,” said Deutch, adding that antisemitism was on the rise before the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel and has continued to increase since then.

The Anti-Defamation League tracked a total of 3,283 antisemitic incidents in the three months following the attacks, CNN previously reported.

The majority of American Jews who said they heard about the attacks said they made them feel less safe as a Jewish person in the US, according to the survey.

When asked about antisemitic incidents, 22% of Jewish adults said they were targeted by antisemitic remarks in person at least once in the past 12 months, according to the report. Seven percent said their property was vandalized or received flyers or pamphlets, and 3% said they were in at least one incident in which someone physically touched them, the survey said.

The report also found that 62% of Jewish adults in the US have seen or heard antisemitic content at least once– including comments or posts –  online or on social media.

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