Poll: Fewer Jewish college students feel safe on campus

‘No parent should ever have to wonder whether it’s safe to send their kids to certain schools – but that’s the sad reality for American Jews today,’ said ADL President Jonathan Greenblatt

Students participate in a protest in support of Palestine outside of the Columbia University campus on Nov. 15. A large banner reads, “by any means necessary,” with an image of the Palestinian flag Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images

By Lauren Markoe November 29, 2023

Most Jewish college students no longer feel safe on campus, a stark contrast to how they described their feelings prior to Oct. 7, according to a poll released Wednesday by the Anti-Defamation League.

Before Oct. 7 — when Hamas attacked Israel, prompting a war in Gaza — 67% of Jewish college students said they felt very or extremely physically safe on campus, and nearly the same proportion said they felt very or extremely emotionally safe. But in this latest ADL survey, 46% said they felt very or extremely physically safe and 33% said they felt very or extremely emotionally safe. Those who reported feeling somewhat safe fell from 47% to 37%, while the proportion of those who felt not at all or a little safe rose from 11% to 18%

The ADL cautioned that these conclusions, based on surveys completed prior to and after Oct. 7, do not represent “apples to apples” comparisons. The earlier survey — conducted this summer — asked students about antisemitism on campus during the entirety of their college experience, while the more recent survey — conducted from Nov. 6 to 10 — asked about their experiences during the current school year.

The November survey, conducted with Hillel, also found that a minority of Jewish students — 39% — felt comfortable with others on campus knowing they were Jewish. That compares with 64% of those surveyed this summer.

“No student should feel threatened or intimidated on campus. No student should feel the need to hide their religious or cultural identities,” said ADL President Jonathan Greenblatt. “No parent should ever have to wonder whether it’s safe to send their kids to certain schools — but that’s the sad reality for American Jews today.”

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

ADL designed its surveys with Hillel and Campus Pulse, an online polling and analytics platform, and asked questions of both Jewish and non-Jewish students on 689 campuses in the U.S. The first survey, of 3,084 American college students, included 527 Jewish students. About 70% of students who participated in the first survey also participated in the second, including about half of the Jewish students. ADL said the margin of error is plus or minus 1.8 percentage points for the first survey and plus or minus 3 percentage points for the second.

The poll also found that nearly three quarters — 73% — of Jewish students and 44 percent of non-Jewish students said they had experienced or witnessed antisemitism since the start of this school year. In a 2021 survey, about a third of Jewish students reported experiencing antisemitism personally and another third reported witnessing antisemitism not directed at them.

The surveys also showed that:

Less than half — 44% — percent of Jewish students recently surveyed found their college welcoming and supportive of Jewish students, as compared to 64% of those polled prior to Oct. 7
Most Jewish students — 77% — and 67% of non-Jewish students, felt their colleges were not doing enough to combat antisemitism
More than half — 56% — of all students had completed Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training and of those, 18% said it included training on anti-Jewish prejudice.
Jewish and non-Jewish students — 84% and 75% respectively — said discussions of antisemitism should be part of DEI training.

“University administrators need to wake up and recognize that Jewish students uniquely need protection now — and policymakers must step up, provide resources and enforce Title VI,” said Greenblatt, referring to the part of the Civil Rights Act that forbids discrimination based on race, color, and national origin in institutions receiving federal financial assistance.

Lauren Markoe is news editor of the Forward. A Bronx native, she reported for The Patriot Ledger, several McClatchy newspapers in the South, and Religion News Service, where she was also managing editor. She also produced live radio shows at WAMU in Washington, D.C., where she lives.

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