A new survey has found that one in five UK university students would be reluctant — or unwilling — to share accommodation with a Jewish student, highlighting growing concerns about antisemitism on campus, reports The Times of Israel.
The poll, commissioned by the Union of Jewish Students (UJS) and conducted by JL Partners, surveyed 1,000 students across 170 universities between late January and early February.
The findings point to a troubling climate for Jewish students. Nearly one in four respondents (23%) said they had witnessed behaviour targeting Jewish students because of their religion or ethnicity. Among those regularly exposed to Israel-related protests, 39% reported frequent harassment of Jewish peers.
The survey also found widespread exposure to extremist rhetoric. Almost half of students (49%) said they had heard chants or slogans glorifying proscribed terrorist groups such as Hamas or Hezbollah on campus, while 47% reported hearing justification of the October 7 attacks. Among students frequently encountering protests, that figure rose to 77%.
A significant majority (82%) of students said that the slogan “globalise the intifada” is antisemitic. However, attitudes toward antisemitic tropes were mixed. Sixteen per cent of respondents did not consider the claim that Jews control the media to be antisemitic, rising to 24% when the term “Zionists” was used instead. Meanwhile, 26% said that calling for “Zionists” to be removed from campus was not antisemitic.
The report also highlighted concerns about the normalisation of antisemitism. UJS stated that conditions for the UK’s approximately 10,000 Jewish students have worsened significantly since 2023, warning that “relative inaction has bred a culture of normalised antisemitism.”
Examples cited in the report include students openly excluding Jews from housing, such as one case where a flat advertised online with the condition “no Zios,” a term widely recognised as an antisemitic slur.
The survey further found that 16% of students believe glorifying the October 7 attacks — including violence against civilians — should be protected as free speech. Under UK law, expressing support for proscribed terrorist organisations is illegal.
Campus life has also been affected more broadly. Around 65% of students said protests had disrupted their learning, while 27% reported classes being cancelled or postponed. Others said they had been blocked from accessing university buildings or social spaces.
While acknowledging that many universities take the issue seriously, UJS criticised what it described as a lack of decisive action. “Most institutions demonstrably care,” the report said, “but have lacked the speed and conviction required to stem the normalisation of antisemitism.”
The organisation called for stronger enforcement measures, including mandatory reporting of hate incidents to regulators, clearer disciplinary standards, and a national strategy to address extremism and radicalisation on campus.
The findings reflect broader concerns about rising antisemitism in the UK, particularly among younger demographics and within academic environments.
Photo Credit: HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP
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