Message Emphasizing Societal Opposition Boosts Reporting of Online Antisemitism
Translated & summarized from Arutz Sheva by baba
A new study by the ADL and Boundless found that reminding young Americans that antisemitism is socially unacceptable significantly improves their ability to identify and report online antisemitic content. This message increased identification and reporting rates by over 5%. Jonathan Greenblatt of the ADL highlighted the practical implications for combating online hate. The study also revealed significant challenges in recognizing contemporary antisemitism, especially when linked to Israel and Zionism.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- A message stressing societal opposition to antisemitism improves online identification and reporting of such content.
- The effective message increased identification of non-affiliated antisemitic posts by 6.1% and reporting by 5.6%.
- Jonathan Greenblatt stated the message offers a practical method to combat online antisemitism.
- Many participants struggled to identify contemporary antisemitism, particularly when linked to Israel and Zionism.
- Aviva Klompas stressed identification is crucial for combating antisemitism effectively.
- Gen Z was more likely than Millennials to report antisemitic content once identified.
A new study indicates that a simple message reminding young Americans that antisemitism is widely unacceptable can significantly improve their ability to identify and report antisemitic content online. The research, conducted by the Anti-Defamation League's Center for Antisemitism Research and Boundless, tested six different educational messages on young adults.
The most effective message highlighted that broad societal opposition to antisemitism is the norm. Participants exposed to this message showed a statistically significant increase in their likelihood to identify contemporary antisemitic posts lacking political affiliation by 6.1% and to report them by 5.6%. Furthermore, their understanding of why Jews might be offended by right-wing contemporary antisemitism increased by 6.9%. Similar improvements were observed in reporting classic antisemitic posts associated with the left or with no political affiliation.
Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the World Anti-Defamation League, stated that these findings offer a practical way to combat online antisemitism. He noted that a reminder that Jew-hatred is not accepted by most Americans can encourage identification and response, and this message can be widely disseminated through educators, digital platforms, and community leaders.
Despite the positive impact of the key message, the study also revealed a significant difficulty in recognizing antisemitism, even in clearly defined cases. Between 22% and 29% of participants who did not receive a preliminary message failed to agree that posts containing classic antisemitism were indeed antisemitic. This difficulty was even more pronounced with contemporary expressions, particularly those linked to Israel and Zionism, where 32% to 37% of the control group did not identify the content as antisemitic.
Aviva Klompas, co-founder and CEO of Boundless, emphasized that identification is a prerequisite for combating antisemitism, especially for young Americans who struggle with contemporary forms, particularly when related to Israel and Zionism. She called for investment in research-based programs to help the public recognize and counter modern antisemitism, conspiracy theories, misinformation, and manipulation.
The study also found generational differences, with Millennials showing a slightly better ability to identify antisemitic posts than Gen Z. However, Gen Z participants who did identify antisemitic content were more likely to report it (77% compared to 68% of Millennials). Matt Williams, Vice President of the ADL's Center for Antisemitism Research, described the observed effect as moderate but impactful due to the ease of widespread dissemination, suggesting that even a 6% improvement can be significant when reaching millions.
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