Over a quarter of Canadians believe Jews 'to blame for any acts of prejudice they face': poll

More than a quarter of Canadians believe “Jews are often to blame for any acts of prejudice they face,” according to a new national poll that the researcher says is indicative of post-October 7 victim-blaming on social media.

Leger found that 28 per cent of Canadians agree (nine per cent strongly and 19 per cent somewhat) with the statement that Jews are often to blame. The poll, which was conducted for the Association for Canadian Studies, found that just under three-quarters (72 per cent) of Canadians disagreed (37 per cent strongly and 35 per cent somewhat).

“I would first say that victim-blaming is not unique to antisemitism but part of a broader phenomenon to which several groups are regrettably vulnerable. So I was not entirely surprised,” said Jack Jedwab, president of the Association for Canadian Studies, in an email.

“But, in this case, there is a post-October 7 climate with the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, where we’re seeing heightened tensions resulting in increasing attempts to hold Jews in Canada responsible.” He pointed to Radio-Canada journalist Élisa Serret’s recent comments accusing Israelis and Jews of running Hollywood and financing “a lot of American politics.” She was “relieved from her duties” last week.

Support for the statement that “Jews are often to blame for any acts of prejudice they face,” was strongest in Quebec (36 per cent), followed by Manitoba and Saskatchewan (30 per cent), the Atlantic provinces (28 per cent), British Columbia (27 per cent), Ontario (24 per cent) and Alberta (21 per cent). Canadian men were more likely (34 per cent) to agree with the statement compared to women (22 per cent).

Younger Canadians expressed higher rates of support for the sentiment, with 34 per cent of those between 18 and 24 strongly or somewhat agreeing, as well as 37 per cent of 25 to 34 year olds. Older Canadians were more likely to disagree with the statement. Over three-quarters (77 per cent) of 45 to 54 year olds and those aged 65 and older (78 per cent) opposed the view that Jews were responsible for their own targeting.

An earlier poll conducted by Leger found students were likely to see Muslims and not Jews as the most targeted group in the country, despite Statistics Canada data showing more than four times the number of hate crimes had been perpetrated against the Jewish community in 2023.

“As revealed in previous surveys, the phenomenon of post-October 7 victim-blaming is circulating on certain social media platforms where younger Canadians are somewhat more active in those spaces and more exposed to such narratives,” Jedwab wrote.

A similar generational difference was seen in the polling of Americans on the subject.

Support for a similar statement was highest among young Americans, with 21 per cent of those between 18 and 29 years old saying “yes” when asked if “Jews are often to blame for any acts of prejudice they face.” Fifty-eight per cent said “no” and 22 per cent said they don’t know or prefer not to answer. Older cohorts were slightly more likely to oppose the view. Among those aged 40 to 49, 62 per cent said “no” and 14 per cent said “yes.” For those aged 50 to 64, 15 per cent said “yes” and 60 per cent said “no.” For those aged 65 and over, it was 17 per cent “yes” and 66 per cent “no.”

Overall, a majority (60 per cent) of Americans opposed the statement. Americans were considerably less likely to agree with the sentiment (17 per cent) than Canadians (28 per cent).

“The victim blaming appears a fair bit less prevalent in the United States and despite that country’s high rate of polarization post October 7 some will contend that there is greater attention in addressing this phenomenon,” Jedwab said.

The poll was conducted between Aug. 29 and 31, based on an online survey of 1,627 Canadians and 1,014 Americans. A margin of error cannot be associated with a non-probability sample in a panel survey for comparison purposes. A probability sample of the same number of Canadian respondents would have a margin of error of plus or minus 2.52 per cent, 19 times out of 20. A probability sample of the same number of American respondents would yield a margin of error of plus or minus 3.99 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

• Canadian poll suggests social media 'normalizing prejudice'
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