New York, NY, October 29, 2026 ... New research from the ADL Center for Antisemitism Research and Boundless released today reveals that a single, brief message telling young Americans that most people reject antisemitism made them more likely to recognize and report antisemitic social media content. Of six messages tested, an educational message sharing that the social norm was not antisemitic produced statistically significant improvements in reporting.
“Young people are encountering antisemitism online every day, and too often they don't recognize it for what it is,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO and National Director. “This research shows that something as simple as reminding people that hatred of Jews is not accepted by most Americans can move them to recognize it and speak up. That is a practical, scalable tool for educators, platforms and community leaders.”
From July 9 to 17, 2026, researchers surveyed 7,499 Americans ages 18 to 44, recruited nationwide through the opinion research firm Cint. Participants were randomly assigned to read one of six short messages about antisemitism, or no message at all. They then evaluated real examples of antisemitic social media posts, including classical and contemporary content from the left, the right and no clear ideological side.
Compared with people who saw no message, those who saw the social norming message were:
6.1 percent more likely to recognize a contemporary antisemitic post with no political affiliation, and 5.6 percent more likely to report it.
6.9 percent more likely to understand why Jews would find a contemporary right-wing post offensive.
5.9 percent more likely to report a classical left-wing antisemitic post.
5.7 percent more likely to report a classical antisemitic post with no political affiliation.
“The impact of a short message that most Americans reject antisemitism was moderate, but when you consider how quick and easily scalable such a message is, this result is groundbreaking,” said Matt Williams, Vice President of the ADL Center for Antisemitism Research. “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.”
The study also showed that many young Americans struggle to recognize antisemitism online even when the content is overtly antisemitic (i.e., “classical”), and especially when antisemitism is expressed through contemporary language about Israel and Zionism. Among people who received no message, 22 percent to 29 percent disagreed that classical antisemitic posts were antisemitic. For contemporary posts, which often use language about Israel and Zionism, that rose to 32 percent to 37 percent.
“People can’t challenge antisemitism if they don’t recognize it,” said Aviva Klompas, Co-founder and CEO of Boundless. “Far too many young Americans struggle to identify antisemitism online, particularly when it appears in language about Israel and Zionism. We need to go beyond telling people that antisemitism exists and help them recognize how it manifests today. That means investing in evidence-based interventions that build resilience to conspiracy theories, misinformation, and manipulation.”
The research also found generational differences. Millennials were somewhat better than Gen Z at recognizing antisemitic posts. Among respondents who did recognize a post as antisemitic, however, Gen Z was more likely to say they would report it (77 percent vs. 68 percent).
Most of the other messages tested did not significantly improve recognition or reporting. These included neutral information, a Jewish perspective, appeals to personal impact and disinformation awareness.
Among those surveyed who identify as political Independents, a message explaining how antisemitism can be used to manipulate people and spread disinformation made them about 11 percent more likely to recognize a classical right-wing post as antisemitic. It also made them about 10 percent more likely to understand why Jews would be offended by contemporary antisemitism from both the right and the left.
Based on the findings, ADL and Boundless recommend that future efforts:
Prioritize helping people identify contemporary forms of antisemitism, particularly when Israel and Zionism are involved.
Invest in social norming messages.
Further test disinformation awareness messaging, especially among Independents.
Tailor interventions by audience, since Gen Z appears to have a greater recognition challenge while Millennials may have more of an action gap.
Read the full report here.
ADL is the leading anti-hate organization in the world. Founded in 1913 to protect the Jewish people, ADL works to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and secure justice and fair treatment to all. In the face of rising antisemitism and extremism, we protect, advocate, and educate, through a mix of programs and services using the latest innovations and technology, and seek to create a world without hate. More at adl.org.
Boundless is a research and education organization working to make antisemitism easier to recognize and harder to spread.