6.1% increase: Short message boosts young adults' antisemitism detection

A brief message telling young Americans that the majority of their peers reject antisemitism improved their ability to identify and report online hate speech, according to a study released by the Anti-Defamation League and the organization Boundless. The research, published on Oct. 29, indicates that social norming is a more effective strategy for platform design and public education than traditional definitions or historical context.

The study, titled "Bridging the Gap: What Young Americans Miss About Online Antisemitism," surveyed 7,499 adults aged 18 to 44 via the firm Cint between July 9 and July 17. The sample comprised 3,043 Generation Z participants and 4,456 Millennials. Political affiliation was split among 3,229 Democrats, 2,319 Independents, and 1,951 Republicans. Participants were randomly assigned to one of six educational messages or a control group that received no message.

Before the intervention, 22% to 29% of participants failed to identify classical antisemitic posts as antisemitic. The gap widened for contemporary posts featuring hostile language about Israel and Zionism, where disagreement rates reached 32% to 37%. Willingness to report these posts was consistently lower than recognition rates across all groups.

The social norming message, which cited data showing 82% of Americans want online antisemitic speech removed and 77% support government action, produced the only statistically significant gains. Readers were 6.1% more likely to recognize contemporary nonpartisan antisemitic posts and 5.6% more likely to report them. The message also increased understanding of right-wing posts by 6.9% and reporting of left-wing antisemitism by 5.9%. Matt Williams, Vice President of the ADL Center for Antisemitism Research, noted that while a 6% shift appears small in isolation, it could have a large impact when scaled across millions of users.

Generational differences emerged in reporting behavior. Millennials identified antisemitic posts more accurately than Generation Z respondents. However, Generation Z participants who recognized antisemitism were more likely to report it, with a 77% reporting rate compared to 68% for Millennials. Williams said the study leaves open whether younger users view reporting as a baseline duty while older users filter content through free expression norms.

Among political Independents, a message explaining how antisemitism uses scapegoating and conspiracy theories raised recognition of classical right-wing antisemitism by 11%. It also improved understanding of contemporary antisemitism from both political sides by approximately 10%. The study found that Democrats and Republicans were equally likely to recognize antisemitism regardless of whether it originated from their own political side. Aviva Klompas, co-founder and CEO of Boundless, said that high engagement metrics on posts can lead users to assume such views are widely accepted, emphasizing the need for evidence-based adaptation.

The report recommends that educators and platform developers prioritize recognition training, particularly for contemporary forms tied to language about Israel and Zionism. It advises against relying solely on generic informational content, which showed little behavioral change. The researchers urge investment in scalable social norming campaigns tailored to specific age groups, noting that Generation Z struggles primarily with recognition while Millennials struggle with the decision to report.