From Antisemitism to Philosemitism? Trends in American Attitudes toward Jews from 1964 to 2016

Abstract

This paper uses the feeling thermometer toward Jews on the American National Election (ANES) surveys from 1964 through 2016 to track trends in Americans' attitudes toward Jews. The feeling thermometer is one of the longest continuous time series studies in which Americans are asked about their attitudes toward Jews, and there are items on the ANES surveys that can be used to partially correct for social desirability response effects. The analysis compares several demographic groups, an important focus of extant research. Findings indicate a modest warming trend for most groups, with older Americans and the least educated displaying the greatest warmth increases. In contrast, Catholics have become slightly cooler. Analysis suggests that the immigration of Catholics from Latin America, nations that lack the religious tolerance tradition, may account for this counter-trend. The conclusion offers suggestions for future research and discusses the implications of the rising proportion of Hispanic immigrants into the US for future levels of antisemitism in the US.

Relative Unemployment, Political Information, and the Job Approval Ratings of State Governors and Legislatures

“…For governors, some studies find higher state unemployment weakens incumbent electoral performance (Atkeson and Partin 1995;Carsey and Wright 1998;Partin 1995;Svoboda 1995;Wolfers 2002), but others detect either no or mixed effects (Besley and Case 1995;Brown 2010;Chubb 1988;Ebeid and Rodden 2006;Hummel and Rothschild 2014;Kenney and Rice 1983;Krause and Melusky 2014;Leyden and Borrelli 1995;Peltzman 1987;Rodden and Wibbels 2011;Stein 1990;Wright 2012). Similarly several studies find higher state unemployment harms gubernatorial approval (Cohen 2018;Cohen and King 2004;Crew et al 2002;Hansen 1999aHansen , 1999bHowell and Vanderleeuw 1990;Kelleher and Wolak 2007;King and Cohen 2005;Niemi, Stanley, and Vogel 1995;Orth 2001), but neither Crew and Weiher (1996) nor MacDonald and Sigelman (1999) find such an effect on approval.…”

Taking the “Race” Out of Master Race: The Evolving Role of the Jew in White Supremacist Discourse

“…In the United States, this is the result of a political realignment concerning Israel where, since the 1950s, Republicans have increased their support for Israel while Democrats have decreased their support (Oldmixon, Rosenson, and Wald 2005). Of interest is Cohen's (2018) finding that the realignment on Israel is not accompanied by a partisan realignment on attitudes toward Jews; Republicans still exhibit greater negativity than Democrats despite their increasing support for Israel. More specifically, in a 2021 report for the International Center for the Study of Radicalisation, Hannah Rose documents that a shift from antisemitism to philosemitism has originated from a fundamental re-imagining of Jewishness, where Jews and Judaism are understood through far-right framings in order to legitimise existing ideologies.…”

A Common Target: Anti-Jewish Hate Crime in New York City Communities, 1995-2010

“…While there is certainly a long history of anti-Semitism in the United States, there may be more interest in such offenses in the context of persistent discrimination and violence against people of color and LGBTQ groups by both citizens and the state in modern times (Perry 2001). Given “warming” attitudes toward Jewish people in the past several decades (J. E. Cohen 2018; Gerstenfeld 2011; Scheitle and Hansmann 2017), anti-Jewish hate crime may not be seen as much of problem compared to anti-Black or antigay violence.…”

“…Anti-Semitism has had a long history in the United States and remains an integral part of White supremacist ideologies. At the same time, anti-Semitism has declined in recent decades in the United States as studies show increasing warmth toward Jewish people (J. E. Cohen 2018; Gerstenfeld 2011; Scheitle and Hansmann 2017).…”