NEW YORK – A new global poll conducted by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), in which more than 10,000 residents of 19 countries around the world were asked to respond to 11 statements that the poll links to anti-Semitism. Greece finished second on the list, with 67% of the respondents deemed to be anti-Semitic. Only Turkey, at 71%, finished higher. The only other country to finish in which most of the population was found to be anti-Semitic according to the poll, was Iran (60%), whose former leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ominously declared that Iran would do anything “to destroy Israel.”
In the introduction of its 2015 report, in which it states the results of the 19 nations, comparing them to the 2014 numbers, the ADL indicates a conclusion based on a correlation found in the data: that the less satisfied respondents were with political and economic conditions in their country, the more likely they were to harbor negative stereotypes of Jews.
GREECE QUALITY OF LIFE
Before delving into Greeks’ specific references to Jews, their general responses to quality of life in Greece are telling in themselves, and important to share, accordingly.
A startling change in just a year’s time is to the question: “Do you think things in your country are headed in the right direction?” Last year, just 16% responded yes, as compared to a staggering 61% this year – even as Greece remains mired in crisis.
Conversely, 80% a year ago clearly stated things in Greece were getting worse, as compared to only 29% this year.
In a related question only 17% described the political climate as stable in 2014, but that number more than doubled, to 39% this year. Nonetheless, only 2% thought political conditions were “very stable” last year, and only 9% think they are very stable today.
The changes had very little to do with personal finances, as 0% of last year’s respondents described their financial condition as excellent, with only 1% giving it that rating in 2015. Although those who described it as poor in 2014 were 47% as compared to only 38% this year – almost a 10% drop. The disparity could mean actual economic relief, or perhaps an overblown panic last year that never materialized, without any actual economic improvement having taken place.
ANTI-SEMITIC OR XENOHOBIC?
The Greeks’ responses on questions aimed to investigate anti-Semitism yielded mixed results, with Greeks not necessarily more averse to Jews than to other non-Christian groups. In an overall favorability jump of approximately 10% as compared to last year, Greeks found the following groups favorable: Christians (94%), Buddhists (52%), Jews (50%), Hindus (48%), and Muslims (45%). These numbers basically mean that almost all Greeks have positive feelings about Christians, whereas for various non-Christians, it’s a 50-50 chance. As the remainder of the questions were about Jews specifically, it is difficult to conclude that Greeks are specifically anti-Semitic – there is a good chance that, to a significant extent, they are more xenophobic in general.
MONEY AND POWER
Most reactions deemed as negative on the ADL anti-Semitic index to which Greeks scored high (meaning more anti-Semitic) had to do with money, power, and global influence. An overwhelming 90% of Greeks think Jews have too much power in the business world, up from 85% a year ago. In related questions, 85% think Jews have too much power in international financial markets, 72% think Jews are too powerful in global affairs, 58% think they have too much power over global media, and 65% of Greeks think Jews have too much control over the U.S. government.
GREECE v. U.S. TOWARD JEWS
There is a startling difference as to how Greeks and Americans perceive Jews. (Note: Less than 2% of the U.S. population is Jewish so, all other things being equal, over 98% of the American poll respondents are not Jews themselves.)
Do Jews still talk too much about what happened to them in the Holocaust? In Greece, 70% of the people seem to think so, compared to only 20% in the U.S.
Only 13% of Americans think that “Jews don’t care what happens to anyone but their own kind,” as compared to 51% of Greeks who feel that way.
Almost half of Greeks, 44%, think that “Jews think that they’re better than other people,” but only 13% of Americans believe that.
Only a minority in both countries – 33% in Greece and only 5% in the U.S. – think that “Jews are responsible for most of the world’s wars.”
Finally, in a denial of anti-Semitism itself, 41% of Greeks, and 14% of Americans believe that “people hate Jews because of the way Jews behave,” thereby alluding that it is not because of religious or ethnic hatred, but rather that the Jews bring it upon themselves.
The post Poll Says 67% of Greeks Anti-Semitic appeared first on The National Herald.