Anti-Semitism and other forms of prejudice are linked
Liliia Korol has studied anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli attitudes and how they relate to prejudicial attitudes.
Anti-Semitic attitudes and beliefs in Sweden are strongly linked to other forms of prejudice, such as anti-immigrant and sexist attitudes, as well as a greater tendency to believe in conspiracy theories.
However, it has been found there is no link between these prejudices and a critical stance towards Israel. This is shown by a new study conducted at the Malmö Institute for Migration Studies (MIM), Malmö University.
We know from previous research that anti-Semitism and anti-Israel attitudes often overlap, particularly among those with extremely distrustful attitudes.
Liliia Korol
Researcher Liliia Korol, together with Professor Pieter Bevelander, has analysed data collected by the Forum for Living History in 2020. In the study, they examine anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli attitudes in Sweden and their links to prejudicial attitudes, belief in conspiracy theories and institutional trust. The latter refers to the level of trust Swedes have in the government and the media, specifically radio and television.
Based on a survey of around 3,500 individuals, the results show that anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli attitudes are related, but that they also differ in important ways.
“We know from previous research that anti-Semitism and anti-Israel attitudes often overlap, particularly among those with extremely distrustful attitudes. But we also know that there are those who are critical of Israel without holding anti-Semitic views, and we wanted to analyse that in greater depth,” says Korol.
Based on the responses, the researchers identified three groups: Neutral Moderates ((low antisemitism and low anti-Israel attitudes), Critical Engagers (low antisemitism but moderate anti-Israel attitudes), and Distrustful Sceptics (heightened levels of both).
The Distrustful Sceptics are characterised by a significantly lower level of education, a higher average age and lower income. Compared with the other two groups, individuals within this profile also had higher levels of sexist attitudes, and a larger proportion believed in conspiracy theories.
The results show that people with anti-Semitic views tend to hold other prejudices as well. At the same time, the study shows that a critical view of Israel does not necessarily imply negative attitudes towards immigrants in general.
“Anti-Israeli attitudes mean that one is critical and holds socio-political views about Israel as a state,” says Korol.
Higher institutional trust therefore increases the likelihood of belonging to the group of ‘critical engagers’. It is also this relationship that Korol finds particularly interesting among the results.
“It is important to view this in a Swedish context, as Sweden was one of the first OECD countries to recognise Palestine and has historically been critical of Israel. It would be interesting to conduct a similar study in a country where the political stance has been more pro-Israel, to see whether there is a corresponding level of institutional trust there.”
The data was collected in 2020, that is, before the war in Gaza.
“It is difficult to say how recent geopolitical developments would have affected the results if the data had been collected today, but I still believe the study is both relevant and credible,” concludes Korol.
