Message Emphasizing Societal Opposition Boosts Reporting of Online Antisemitism

The study revealed that many young adults struggle to recognize contemporary antisemitism, particularly when it is linked to Israel and Zionism. In the control group, between 32% and 37% of respondents failed to identify such posts as antisemitic. Baseline readiness to report offensive material was also low among the participants.

The most effective intervention was a social norming message stating that 82% of Americans want online antisemitic hate speech removed. Participants exposed to this message were 6.1% more likely to identify contemporary, politically unaffiliated antisemitic posts and 5.6% more likely to report them. The message also increased understanding of the harm of contemporary right-wing posts by 6.9% and raised reporting of classic left-wing and non-affiliated antisemitic posts by 5.8%.

Generational differences were observed in the study, with Gen Z participants showing a higher likelihood to report antisemitic content once identified, while Millennials demonstrated slightly better initial identification. Additionally, according to The Jerusalem Post, political Independents showed improved recognition of antisemitism after receiving a disinformation awareness message.