Antisemitism and Public Perception Dynamics

Antisemitism comprises a spectrum of beliefs and behaviours directed against Jews, ranging from overt violence and institutional discrimination to more subtle forms of prejudice and conspiracy theory. Public perception dynamics examines how attitudes towards Jews emerge, evolve and interact with broader social, political and media environments. Research in this field integrates historical and contemporary analyses, psychometric and survey methodologies, as well as experimental designs, to reveal how factors such as political ideology, intergroup identity processes, global events and media framing shape both individual prejudice and collective sentiment. Over the past decade, scholars have shown that antisemitic attitudes are not static; they fluctuate with international crises, shifts in political discourse and changes in social identity salience. Attention has turned to measuring the stability of these attitudes, the role of latent or weakly held responses, and the distinct pathways—such as social dominance orientation and identity fusion—that link political orientation to hostility towards Jews. The global significance of this work lies in informing educational and policy interventions, enhancing early warning systems for hate incidents and guiding community dialogue initiatives that seek to counter emergent forms of anti-Jewish bias and preserve social cohesion.

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Antisemitism and Public Perception Dynamics publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in antisemitism and public perception dynamics across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Antisemitism: The prejudice, hostility or discrimination specifically directed against Jewish people as a group.

Social dominance orientation: A personality and ideological variable reflecting an individual’s preference for hierarchy and dominance of ‘superior’ groups over ‘inferior’ ones.

Out-group identity fusion: A process in which individuals feel a visceral sense of unity with a group outside their own, leading to strong affective bonds and behavioural alignment.

Nonattitudes: Weakly held or unstable survey responses that do not reflect enduring beliefs or opinions, often resulting from lack of knowledge or indifference.

References

1. The impact of globalized conflicts: Examining attitudes toward Jews among Britons in the political context of the war in Gaza. International Journal of Intercultural Relations (2025).
2. Ideology and Attitudes toward Jews in U.S. Public Opinion: A Reconsideration. Religions (2024).
3. (In)stability in American public attitudes toward Jews: a panel analysis. Politics and Religion (2024).