U.S. Christians ‘More Pro-Israel, Less Antisemitic’ than U.K. Christians, New Research Finds, Yet Antisemitism in the United States is Rising, Especially Among Younger Americans

Data Released Following ‘Oppose Antisemitism’ Event Held at 2025 National Religious Broadcasters Convention

NEW YORK, March 6, 2025 — Following a well-attended “Oppose Antisemitism – Stop the Hate” event held onsite at the annual National Religious Broadcasters Convention last week, Chosen People Ministries has released to U.S. audiences a new study showing that American Christians are much more likely than British Christians to support Israel in the conflict with the Palestinians. It follows a widely-reported study of attitudes toward Israel among American Christians released last year, which showed that, despite some of the more positive numbers, antisemitism remains a growing concern, especially among younger generations.

“We are in an epidemic – even a pandemic – right now, of resurging antisemitism. It’s hard to imagine that the world’s oldest hatred is new again,” said Dr. Michael Rydelnik, professor of Jewish studies and Bible at Moody Bible Institute, referencing the recent studies at the NRB event. Its purpose was to increase awareness of the new Coalition against Antisemitism and encourage Christians around the world to stand with the people of Israel during these times. Many Evangelical Christians in attendance were surprised to hear of this modern scourge of antisemitism, and pledged their support, affirming the Coalition’s Founding Statement.

The new study in the United Kingdom found that less than a quarter of British Christians — 23.6 percent — support Israel, compared to 42.3 percent of American Christians. The separate studies, led by two U.S.-based university professors, revealed stark differences in Christian attitudes toward Jews and Israel on opposite sides of the Atlantic. Coalition leadership encourages believers to become more aware of and actively oppose antisemitism before U.S. support for Israel falls to UK levels and to prevent continued growth of negative attitudes toward Jews globally.

“In nearly every measure, American Christians expressed stronger pro-Israel views and lower levels of antisemitism than British Christians,” said Dr. Motti Inbari, a professor of Jewish studies at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke and co-author of the research with Dr. Kirill Bumin, Associate Dean of Metropolitan College at Boston University. The research was funded by Chosen People Ministries and a coalition of organizations that seek to combat antisemitism.

Conducted in March and December, 2024, the study — the first of its kind — compares patterns of antisemitic sentiment among American and British Christians. In both countries, the “dual loyalty” trope – the notion that “Jews are more loyal to Israel than to this country” – is the most widely accepted antisemitic attitude. 46 percent of British and 33.6 percent of American respondents said that this is “probably true.”

“American Christians generally have a higher opinion of Jewish people than their British counterparts,” said Dr. Kirill Bumin. “Overall, the statistical data shows that 58.5 percent of U.S. Christians view Jews favorably, compared to 50.6 percent of British Christians.”

When asked if “Jews still talk too much about what happened to them in the Holocaust,” 22 percent of U.S. Christians agreed it was “probably true,” compared to 33 percent — or one-third — of U.K. Christians. One in 10 U.S. Christians agreed that “it’s definitely not antisemitic to say that Israel doesn’t have the right to exist,” compared to 1 in 6 British Christians.

“While we saw the U.S. study results as a bit of good news, with ongoing support for Israel, we were concerned about those numbers decreasing among younger audiences,” said Dr. Mitch Glaser, CEO of Chosen People Ministries, a global nonprofit ministry that works with Jews. “The UK results were not good news and serve as a cautionary tale of where the U.S. might be headed if we as Christians don’t get more involved in actively standing against antisemitism in our communities. We continue to have deep concerns about the ongoing pro-Hamas, anti-Israel protests on U.S. campuses.”

On the conflict in Gaza, 26.5 percent of American Christians believe Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, compared to 47 percent — almost half — of British Christians. Nearly 4 in 10 British Christians felt it was “probably true” that Israel “deliberately targets Palestinian civilians,” compared to 2 in 10 U.S. Christians.

Meanwhile, 6 percent of American Christians felt Jews were “responsible for most of the world’s wars,” compared to 16.7 percent of U.K. Christians. British Christians were also more likely to blame Israel for the violence in the Middle East as a whole.

More than a quarter — 27.9 percent — of American Christians said their support for Israel is positively influenced by the fact that Jesus was Jewish, whereas only 16.9 percent of British Christians said the same. Nearly half of American Christians believe that God’s covenant with the Jewish people, as recorded in Genesis, still applies today, compared to just over a third of British Christians.

The researchers surveyed more than 2,000 people who identified as Christians in both countries, using statistical modeling to analyze data across all ages, ethnicities, genders, marital status, income levels, and education backgrounds. The margin of error is ±2.2 percent in the US sample and 3 percent in the UK sample.

Note to media: The full research study is available upon request.

MEDIA CONTACT: For media inquiries or to arrange an interview with either of the researchers or Dr. Mitch Glaser, CEO of Chosen People Ministries, contact Melany Ethridge, [email protected] or 214-912-8934.

About the researchers: Dr. Kirill Bumin is Associate Dean of Metropolitan College and the Director of the Summer Term at Boston University, USA. Dr. Motti Inbari is a Jewish studies professor at University of North Carolina, USA. They are co-authors ofChristian Zionism in the 21st Century: American Evangelical Public Opinion on Israel (Oxford University Press, 2024).