One in four adults worldwide are anti-Semitic, survey says

NEW YORK, May 14 (UPI) -- A survey commissioned by the Anti-Defamation League, based in New York, says one in four adults worldwide are "deeply infected with anti-Semitic attitudes."

The survey included 102 countries representing 88 percent of the world population, and asked if 11 traditionally anti-Semitic attitudes were true or false. Those stereotypes include whether Jewish people have excessive power over international markets and the global media, whether they are about only "their own kind," and whether "Jews are responsible for most of the world's wars."

The survey then calculated how many respondents believed six or more of the 11 stereotypes. In the Middle East and North Africa, the figure was 74 percent; one third of Eastern European respondents believed them, as did one in four people in Western Europe and sub-Saharan Africa.

Overall, the survey said, 26 percent believed at least six of the stereotypes, a figure representing 1.1 billion people. The most widely-held stereotype said Jewish people are more loyal to Israel than to their own homeland.

In Laos, only 0.2 percent hold anti-Semitic views. The Philippines, Sweden and the Netherlands also received low ratings. The figure was 9 percent in the United States.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the highest levels of anti-Semitic views, according to the survey, were found in the Palestinian territories, with 93 percent. Iraq, Yemen, Algeria, Libya and Tunisia were next-highest.

The survey was conducted by First International Resources for the Anti-Defamation League.