WASHINGTON (JTA) — The level of anti-Semitism in the United States has tied a historic low point, according to an Anti-Defamation League poll.
The survey, which was released Thursday, found that 12 precent of Americans hold anti-Semitic views, down from 15 percent in 2007 and matching the 12 percent figure recorded in 1998. The highest number on record was 29 percent in 1964.
The poll of 1,200 men and women has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percent.
It asks respondents whether they agree with 11 statements about Jews — such as whether they are "more loyal to Israel than America" and whether they have "too much power in the U.S. today" — and are classified as holding anti-Semitic views if they agree with six of them.
The survey also found that foreign-born Hispanics and African Americans continue to hold anti-Semitic views at much greater levels than other Americans, with 35 percent and 28 percent of the two groups falling into that category, respectively. Eighteen percent of U.S.-born Hispanics hold such views, the poll found.
In other findings, 30 percent of respondents agreed that "American Jews are more loyal to Israel than to America" and 29 percent believe that Jews are responsible for the death of Christ.
"The fact that anti-Semitic attitudes have reached their lowest point to date is good news, the product of many years of constant and intense efforts by ADL and others to make America a more accepting society,” ADL national director Abraham Foxman said in a statement.
“At the same time, there continues to be violence targeting Jews and an increasing use of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. We can’t dismiss that 12 percent of the American people means that there are still over 30 million Americans that hold anti-Semitic views.”
