Majority of British Jews see no future in UK, poll finds

A majority of British Jews now believe they do not have a long-term future in the UK, according to a new self-selecting survey conducted amid record levels of antisemitism following the 7 October attacks.

The polling, carried out in November by Campaign Against Antisemitism, analysed responses from 4,490 self-identified British Jews. Participants were contacted primarily through Jewish communal, religious and welfare organisations and were encouraged to share the survey within their networks, meaning the sample was not randomly selected.

Within that group, 51 per cent said they do not believe Jewish people have a long-term future in Britain. A further 61 per cent said they have considered leaving the UK in the past two years because of antisemitism, up from 50 per cent last year.

The survey was conducted weeks after a fatal antisemitic attack on Yom Kippur at a synagogue in Manchester and during a period in which anti-Jewish incidents have reached record highs in the UK following the Hamas attacks on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza.

Beyond fears for physical safety, the findings point to deep disillusionment with public authorities. Almost half of respondents said they do not feel welcome in the UK, while 83 per cent believe the police are not doing enough to protect Jewish communities. Only a small minority said they believe reporting an antisemitic hate crime would be likely to lead to a prosecution.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “The polling starkly tells how Jews blame two successive governments, as well as inert police chiefs and prosecutors, for the explosion of antisemitic extremism which has left two Jews dead and much of the rest of the community reluctantly eyeing the exits. After two years of two-tier policing and institutional cowardice, there is still an alarming lack of urgency from the authorities.

“The appeasement of extremists has so far borne the same fruits as it always does: people dead at the hands of Islamists, the growing radicalisation of our children, the crumbling of law enforcement and now a community questioning whether it has a place in this country at all.”

Those concerns have been echoed by victims of antisemitic violence. Yoni Finlay, who suffered a collapsed lung after being shot while holding synagogue doors shut during the Heaton Park attack, has said he is considering moving his family to Israel.

Speaking to The Telegraph after the attack, Finlay said the current climate means “it’s become hard to recognise the UK anymore”, adding that pro-Palestinian marches and chants make life “very difficult”. He said “People being angry at Israel shouldn’t turn that into hatred of Jews. I have said this again and again: words have impact, and acts have consequences. And this sort of terrorist attack is the consequence.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism said it has conducted similar polling annually for the past decade and that the latest findings indicate a sharp deterioration in how British Jews perceive their future in the country.

The results also echo warnings from the Board of Deputies of British Jews, which has previously reported that antisemitism is becoming embedded across public and professional life, leaving many Jews feeling tolerated rather than respected.

The survey’s publication follows renewed scrutiny of both policing and government responses to antisemitism. Last week, the Metropolitan Police and Greater Manchester Police said chanting slogans such as “globalise the intifada” would lead to arrest, while ministers also published a new antisemitism strategy, which Jewish groups have questioned over its scope and enforcement.

Despite government pledges of action and increased funding for the Community Security Trust, the survey suggests that for a growing number of British Jews, confidence in Britain as a safe and secure home continues to erode.