A new study from YouGov and The Economist found that 20 percent of young American adults believe the Holocaust never happened.
According to The Jerusalem Post, the results came from a survey of 1,500 adults aged 18-29. Seventy-seven of adults over the age of 29 disagreed.
A new poll from YouGov/The Economist finds that young Americans appear to be remarkably ignorant about the Holocaust https://t.co/hkrsb3K2JK ⬇️
— The Economist (@TheEconomist) December 10, 2023
Meanwhile, those in the age group of 18-29 were more likely to agree with statements such as, “Jews have too much power in America” or “People should boycott Israeli goods and products. Or “Israel exploits Holocaust victimhood for its own purposes.”
The Center for Jewish Impact responded to the survey results, calling them “disturbing.”
“The Holocaust was very much real, just like the massacre of October 7th, and we will make sure the world remembers both.”
The survey also revealed that those in the young adult category, ages 18-29, disagreed with the statement that Israel has a right to exist.
In addition to the rise in anti-Semitism, new YouGov/Economist poll finds 20% aged 18-29 think the Holocaust is a myth, another 22% think it is exaggerated.
— Michael Shermer (@michaelshermer) December 15, 2023
Are they simply ignorant of history, signaling their alliance with Palestine, or anti-Semitic? https://t.co/qfWvGg3bpc pic.twitter.com/o8VdMZSsJQ
In an interview with News Nation, Barbara Goldstein, who serves as the executive director of the Florida-based Holocaust Education Resource Council, said technology has led to young adults becoming more and more removed from the historical accuracy of the Holocaust.
“A lot of young people don’t check their sources,” she said, pointing to social media as a problem.
She added that many states do not have laws that require students to be educated about the Holocaust.
In recent weeks, a group of U.S. senators have been working on pushing for more Holocaust education in schools. They recently released a bill, the Never Again Education Act, which would help fund education materials about the Holocaust.
“Failing to educate students about the gravity and scope of the Holocaust is a disservice to the memory of its victims and to our duty to prevent such atrocities in the future…reauthorizing the bipartisan Never Again Education Act will help ensure that educators have the resources needed to teach students about the Holocaust and help counter antisemitic bigotry and hate,” Nevada Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen said in a statement.
CBN news recently reported that antisemitism in the U.S. has trended upward recently, with Jewish-Americans being targets of 60 percent of all hate crimes in the country.
Jewish Americans make up less than three percent of the total U.S. population.
Photo Courtesy: ©RNS/AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski
Video Courtesy: PBS News Hour via YouTube
Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner.
