One Social Norming Message Cuts Antisemitism Blind Spots by 6 Percent

A specific educational message telling young Americans that 82 percent of the country wants online antisemitic hate speech removed increased their ability to identify and report such content by 6.1 percent. This finding emerged from a study released Thursday by the Anti-Defamation League and the educational organization Boundless. The research indicates that this simple social norming prompt outperformed other educational interventions in changing behavior.

The survey, titled 'Bridging the Gap: What Young Americans Miss About Online Antisemitism,' polled 7,499 Americans aged 18 to 44 between July 9 and July 17. The sample included 3,043 members of Generation Z and 4,456 Millennials. Political breakdowns showed 3,229 Democrats, 2,319 Independents, and 1,951 Republicans. Participants were randomly assigned to read one of six short messages or none at all before evaluating real social media posts.

The test posts included classical tropes, right-wing treason accusations regarding Israeli allegiance, and contemporary rhetoric about Zionism from both political sides. In the control group that received no message, 22 percent to 29 percent disagreed that classical antisemitic posts were hateful. That disagreement rose to 32 percent to 37 percent when participants viewed contemporary posts hostile to Israel and Zionism. Baseline willingness to report these posts was generally lower than the rates at which participants recognized them.

Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the ADL, noted that young people encounter online antisemitism daily but often fail to recognize it. He stated that reminding people that hatred of Jews is not accepted by most Americans serves as a practical tool for educators and platforms. Matt Williams, Vice President of the ADL Center for Antisemitism Research, said the 6 percent improvement is meaningful when scaled across millions of users. 'Moving the needle 6 percent on recognizing and reporting antisemitic content doesn't seem like much for a room full of people, but think of what a 6 percent reduction across millions could bring about,' Williams said.

The study identified distinct generational patterns. Millennials were better at spotting antisemitic posts, but Gen Z respondents were more likely to report them once identified. Seventy-seven percent of Gen Z participants who recognized hate reported it, compared to 68 percent of Millennials. Williams noted that further study is needed to determine if younger users view reporting as a baseline duty while older users consider it through the lens of free expression.

Political Independents responded uniquely to a disinformation awareness message. This prompt, which explained how antisemitism uses scapegoating and conspiracy theories, led to an 11 percent increase in recognizing classical right-wing antisemitism. It also improved understanding of contemporary antisemitism by about 10 percent. The study found that Democrats and Republicans were equally likely to recognize antisemitism regardless of which political side produced it.

Aviva Klompas, CEO of Boundless, emphasized the need to move beyond documenting abuse and focus on effective solutions. She stated that reminding people social media does not reflect public opinion can make a real difference. The authors recommend that interventions prioritize recognition and target contemporary forms of antisemitism specifically. They advise against relying solely on generic emotional appeals, which failed to shift behavior in the test.

The report suggests funding scalable social norming campaigns and expanding testing on disinformation awareness. Williams said the ADL continues to share research with social platforms while exploring ways to operationalize the findings independently. The study concludes that tailored interventions must address Gen Z's recognition challenges and the Millennial action gap.