One out of every four residents of one of America’s larger cities is completely free of anti-Semitic prejudice, according to a pilot study on public attitudes toward racial and religious minorities conducted by the Opinion Research Center of the University of Denver, in cooperation with the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith, the A.D.L. announced here today.
Selecting Denver for the testing ground because of its heterogeneous population, the study centered primarily around the attitude of the population toward its Jewish, Negro, Spanish-American and Japanese neighbors. The analysis reveals that about 50 percent of Denver’s population is "moderately" anti-Semitic. Another fourth exhibits "strong" anti-Semitic impulses. Benjamin R. Epstein, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, asserted that the Denver study was not conducted to gauge the incidence of prejudice in any one particular locale, but to establish those general factors which typify the problem.
A composite of the extreme anti-Semite, as uncovered by the study, reveals a man of 50 years or older. His formal education was limited, generally he did not progress beyond grammar school. He is employed as a service worker-four of every 10 employables in this category give evidence of being extremely anti-Semitic–and his earnings are good. He is dissatisfied and "agin" nearly everything. Generally, although not always, he carries "a chip on his shoulder." Also, the "composite" is more often a man than a woman.
The survey also disclosed that the Palestine situation has little effect on the degree of anti-Semitism that exists. Prejudiced and unprejudiced alike may favor the creation of the new state of Israel–though their reasons are often poles apart.
The attitudes of Denver as a whole are not, of course, reflected by the feelings of its extreme anti-Semites. Almost six out of every 10 residents favor an anti-discrimination law in regard to hiring for jobs. No racial or religious group shows a majority opposing such a law. Two years ago, a national Gallup Poll found that only four out of every 10 persons in the nation as a whole favored such a law.
Furthermore, two out of three believe that something needs to be done about intergroup relations in the community. They indicate a willingness to approve any reasonable, constructive program, although most are unable to give any specific suggestions for such a program.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
