Poll: 3 out of every 4 LA county Jews view antisemitism as serious

Three-quarters of Jewish people in Los Angeles County view antisemitism as a serious threat, a new survey found.

“The Pat Brown Institute (PBI) for Public Affairs at California State University, Los Angeles conducted a poll of more than 1,800 Jewish voters in Los Angeles county [and it] revealed strong support for the survival of Israel as a Jewish state and also very significant fears of growing antisemitism,” said Dr. Raphael Sonenshein, executive director of PBI.

“More than 70% reported being concerned about it,” he said. “Written comments to an open-ended question revealed concerns from both the Right and the Left on antisemitism. Clearly though, fears of growing antisemitism are widespread.”

According to the findings, 41% of the participants said that antisemitism is an extremely serious problem, and 31% said they consider it “very serious.”

Seventy-six percent of the participants said that remembering the Holocaust is “essential” for them, and an additional 19% viewed it as “important.” Thirty-six percent of participants said that caring for Israel is essential for them, and an additional third said it is important, while 25% of those polled expressed their opinion that they did not see caring about Israel as important.

Seventy-three percent of the participants said it is important for them that Israel exists as a Jewish state, and 21% responded that it is not important in their opinion.

Eighty six percent identified as pro-Israel, but while 19% said that they support the current government’s policies, 31% said that they have criticism regarding some of the government’s policies. An additional 36% said that they were critical of many of the current government’s policies.

Fifty-four percent of those who took part in the survey identified themselves as Democrats, while 30% identified as Independent and 13% as Republicans. Three-quarters of the participants said that disapprove the way President Donald Trump is handling his job, and 23% of respondents said they approve of his performance.

The poll of 1,812 Jewish voters had a margin sample of error of 2.30%.