Study Finds a Short Reminder That Most Americans Reject Antisemitism Helps Young Adults Spot and Report It

A short message telling young Americans that most of their fellow citizens reject hatred of Jews can make them better at recognizing and reporting antisemitism online, according to new research released by the Anti-Defamation League's Center for Antisemitism Research and the educational organization Boundless.

The study, titled "Bridging the Gap: What Young Americans Miss About Online Antisemitism," surveyed 7,499 Americans aged 18 to 44 between July 9 and July 17 through the opinion research firm Cint. The sample included 3,043 members of Gen Z and 4,456 Millennials, as well as 3,229 Democrats, 2,319 Independents and 1,951 Republicans.

Participants were randomly assigned to read one of six brief educational messages or to receive none. The messages ranged from neutral definitions and personal stories, including one about a mother named Maya who finds a swastika near a school, to historical explanations of scapegoating and broader prejudice. Participants then judged real examples of social media posts, which included classical antisemitic tropes, accusations of treason over alleged Israeli allegiance, and hostile rhetoric about Israel and Zionism from both the left and the right. The researchers also added non-ideological posts and a racist control post to measure false positives.

Among participants who saw no message, between 22 percent and 29 percent disagreed that classical antisemitic posts were antisemitic. Disagreement rose to between 32 percent and 37 percent for contemporary posts using hostile language about Israel and Zionism. Willingness to report offensive posts to platforms was generally lower than the rate of recognition.

Most of the six messages produced little measurable change. The exception was the social norming message, which cited survey data showing that 82 percent of Americans want online antisemitic hate speech removed and 77 percent want government action. It brought statistically significant gains in both spotting and reporting. Readers were 6.1 percent more likely to recognize a contemporary nonpartisan antisemitic post and 5.6 percent more likely to report it. The message also raised understanding of offensive contemporary right-wing posts by 6.9 percent and reporting of classical left-wing antisemitism by 5.9 percent.

"The impact of a short message that most Americans reject antisemitism was moderate, but when you consider how quick and easily scalable such a message is, this result is groundbreaking," said Matt Williams, Vice President of the ADL Center for Antisemitism Research. He added that a 6 percent shift may seem small in a room, but could matter across millions of people.

The study also found generational differences. Millennials were somewhat better than Gen Z at identifying antisemitic posts, but Gen Z respondents who recognized antisemitism were more likely to report it, at 77 percent compared with 68 percent. Williams told The Jerusalem Post that whether younger users see reporting as a baseline duty while older users view such posts through the lens of free expression remains a question for further study.

Among political Independents, a message on disinformation awareness, which explained how antisemitism uses scapegoating and conspiracy theories to manipulate public anger, raised recognition of classical right-wing antisemitism by 11 percent and improved understanding of contemporary antisemitism from both sides by about 10 percent. Democrats and Republicans were equally likely to recognize antisemitism whether or not it came from their own political side.

The report recommends that educators, platform developers and community leaders prioritize recognition, focus on contemporary forms tied to language about Israel and Zionism, and avoid relying only on generic informational or emotional content, which did not shift behavior. It also urges investment in scalable social norming campaigns and tailoring efforts by audience, since Gen Z struggles mainly with recognition while Millennials struggle with deciding to report.

Aviva Klompas, Co-founder and CEO of Boundless, said posts with thousands of likes or shares can lead people to assume such views are widely accepted. "We need to test our approaches, learn from the evidence, and be prepared to adapt," she said. Williams said the ADL continuously shares its research with social platforms while also exploring ways to put the findings into practice on its own.