A recent Leger survey conducted on behalf of the Association for Canadian Studies has found that nearly one-third of Canadians believe antisemitism or anti-Jewish attitudes are becoming more acceptable in the country. The poll indicates that 31 percent of respondents hold this view, with the highest levels of agreement concentrated among university students (37 percent), men (38 percent), and Canadians aged 18 to 34 (35 percent). Notably, English speakers were more than twice as likely to agree (35 percent) compared to just 16 percent of Francophones.
Key Findings on Attitudes Toward Jewish Canadians
Slightly over one-fifth (22 percent) of Canadians agreed that “Israel’s military actions in Gaza justify negative attitudes toward Jewish people in Canada,” while nearly half (49 percent) disagreed. Canadians aged 18 to 34 (26 percent) and men (29 percent) were most likely to agree with this statement.
Roughly one-sixth (17 percent) of respondents agreed that they have become more negative toward Jews since the October 7 terrorist attacks on Israel, while a majority (62 percent) disagreed. Women (68 percent), college students (66 percent), and Canadians over 55 (69 percent) were the most likely to disagree. Those born outside of Canada were more likely to agree (24 percent) than Canadian-born respondents (16 percent).
Perceptions of Jewish Responsibility
A similar split was observed on the question of whether “Jews in Canada are responsible for the actions of the Israeli government.” Nine percent of all respondents and eight percent of Canadian-born respondents agreed, while nearly twice the number of foreign-born respondents (15 percent) agreed. Strong majorities of Canadian-born (73 percent) and foreign-born (62 percent) respondents disagreed.
Jack Jedwab, president of the Association for Canadian Studies, commented: “The findings suggest that condemnation alone has not been enough. While many leaders have denounced antisemitism since October 7, the survey shows that a significant minority of Canadians still believe that events in the Middle East justify negative attitudes toward Jewish Canadians.”
Generational and Linguistic Divides
The survey also found that over a third (39 percent) of Canadians agree that calls for Israel to cease to exist are antisemitic, but slightly over a quarter (28 percent) disagree. Younger Canadians aged 18 to 34 were far less likely (34 percent) than those over 55 (47 percent) to agree that such sentiments are antisemitic.
Jedwab added: “It suggests that public education should not only focus on people who hold openly antisemitic views, but also on the much larger group that may not recognize when criticism about Israel becomes rhetoric that targets Jews and that presents a threat to Jewish Canadians’ sense of safety and belonging.”
