Older Britons are the most likely to see anti-semitism as a problem, and ethnic minority Britons the least likely

Key takeaways

  • 63% of Britons say anti-semitism is a major or significant problem in British society – the highest of 11 groups we asked about
  • The oldest Britons are the most likely to say so (73%), ethnic minority Britons are the least likely (48%)
  • Green voters are not notably different from other parties on this, nor are Britons most likely to think the Green party has a problem with anti-semitism – more say Labour and Reform do
  • 57% of the public say there is a problem with Islamophobia in British society, with young people and ethnic minorities more likely to say there is a problem with prejudice against Muslims than they do for any other group we asked about

The recent Golders Green stabbings are the latest in a series of attacks on Britain’s Jewish community, which have increased significantly as a result of the Gaza conflict.

In the aftermath of the stabbings, a new YouGov survey shows that 63% of Britons say that prejudice against Jews is a major or significant problem in British society – the highest of the 11 groups we asked about.

These results obviously follow an incident that has received major national attention, which may have served to elevate the results – it is not clear what the level might be during times when anti-semitism is not being discussed so prominently in the news.

A majority of people across all voting and social groups consider discrimination against Jews to be a major or significant problem, with one exception: ethnic minority Britons. Those in Britain’s ethnic minority communities are broadly divided, with 48% seeing a substantial problem, but 44% saying anti-semitism is not much of a problem or no problem at all in British society.

The oldest Britons prove the most likely to see a problem (73% of the over-65s), along with Labour, Conservative and Lib Dem voters (70-71%).

While the Greens are the party most embroiled with accusations of anti-semitism at the moment (more on which later), 2024 Green voters are about as likely as their Conservative, Labour and Lib Dem counterparts to see anti-semitism as a substantial problem (68%) – it is Reform UK voters who are the least likely to say so (although at 63% they are about as likely as the wider public to do so).

Younger Britons (56% of 18-24 year olds and 58% of those aged 25-49) and men (59%) are the least likely to see the problem as this severe.

The youngest Britons stand out from others, however, in being the only group that are noticeably more likely to say some other group faces such levels of discrimination. Seven in ten young people (70%) say prejudice against Muslims is a major or significant problem in British society, with 61% also saying the same of Black people and women, and 60% for transgender people (although these latter two are within the margin of error of the 56% saying so of Jews).

Which parties do Britons think have a problem with anti-semitism?

The Greens have become embroiled in a row over anti-semitism after leader Zack Polanski briefly retweeted criticism of police officers kicking the man accused of the Golders Green attack in the head in order to force him to relinquish his knife. The party is now facing increasing scrutiny over the issue, with two candidates arrested for alleged anti-semitic online posts.

However, when asked whether each of the main five parties has a problem with anti-semitism, it is Labour and Reform which come top in the public mind, both at 33%. A quarter say the same of the Greens (25%), while the Tories and Lib Dems get 16% and 13% respectively.

Attitudes in this regard are highly partisan, with those who backed left-wing parties in 2024 more likely to lay accusations of anti-semitism at the door of right wing parties, and vice versa.

Which parties do Britons think have a problem with Islamophobia?

Most Britons (57%) also believe that prejudice against Muslims represents a major or significant problem in British society, putting it second only to prejudice against Jews in our list of 11 social groups we asked about.

As mentioned previously, young people are particularly likely to see Islamophobia as a problem in British society (70%), with identical numbers of Labour and Green voters saying the same.

By contrast, this falls to 55% among Tories and just 30% among Reform UK voters. Among other age groups between 52% and 59% see Islamophobia as a serious issue in British society.

And while Britain’s ethnic minority communities are split on anti-semitism, by almost two to one (60% to 31%) they say that prejudice against Muslims is a serious problem.

When the issue of anti-semitism in a party has come up in recent years, defenders of that party have fired back with queries about what other parties are doing to tackle Islamophobia in their ranks, with a recent example being a heckler during a Kemi Badenoch speech condemning anti-semitism.

Compared to the anti-semitism question, there is a much more definitive public view on which parties have a problem with Islamophobia, with 47% of Britons saying so of Reform UK. The Tories come next, at 27%, while only 14% say the same of Labour, 8% of the Lib Dems, and 6% of the Greens.

See full results here

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