New survey reveals shocking ignorance about basic Holocaust facts
Some adults surveyed said that they had not heard or weren’t sure if they had heard of the Nazis' final solution
Jenni Frazer is a freelance journalist
Disturbing ignorance about the basic facts of the Holocaust has been revealed in a first-ever eight-country survey undertaken by the New York-based Claims Conference. The survey — of America, Britain, France, Austria, Germany, Poland, Hungary and Romania — showed that the majority of respondents in each country, except Romania, believe something like the Holocaust (another mass genocide against Jewish people) could happen again today.
Concern is highest in the United States, where more than three-quarters (76 per cent) of all adults surveyed believe something like the Holocaust could happen again today, followed by the UK at 69 per cent, France at 63 per cent, Austria at 62per cent, Germany at 61 per cent, Poland at 54 per cent, Hungary at 52 per cent, and Romania at 44 per cent.
However, shockingly, some adults surveyed said that they had not heard or weren’t sure if they had heard of the Holocaust prior to taking the survey. This is amplified among young adults ages 18-29 who are the most recent reflection of local education systems; when surveyed, they indicated that they had not heard or weren’t sure if they had heard of the Holocaust (Shoah): France (46 per cent), Romania (15 per cent), Austria (14 per cent) and Germany (12 per cent). Additionally, while Auschwitz-Birkenau is the most well-known camp, nearly half (48 per cent) of Americans surveyed were unable to name a single camp or ghetto established by the Nazis during World War II.
On a more positive note, there is overwhelming support for Holocaust education. Across all counties surveyed, nine-in-10 or more adults believe it is important to continue teaching about the Holocaust, in part, so it does not happen again.
While overall awareness about the Holocaust is high across the majority of the countries surveyed, Holocaust distortion is also high. Overall, a majority of all populations surveyed did not know that six million Jews were killed during the Holocaust.
Twenty per cent or more respondents in seven out of the eight countries surveyed believed that two million or fewer Jews were murdered during the Holocaust with Romania falling at 28 per cent, Hungary at 27 per cent, and Poland at 24 per cent. What makes this even more surprising is that nearly three million of those murdered during the Holocaust were from Poland. Respondents in Germany fared the best with this question, but still a surprising 18 per cent of respondents from Germany believed that two million or fewer Jews were killed during the Holocaust.
Among the key findings: One in five French adults said that they had not heard, or weren’t sure if they had heard, of the Shoah prior to taking the survey; 69 per cent of Britons surveyed believed the Holocaust could happen again, but 20 per cent of British respondents thought that the number of Jews killed in the Holocaust were two million or less; one quarter of all adults in Britain, France and Romania, and 26 per cent of all respondents, could not name a single camp or ghetto, and across all the countries surveyed, 18–29-year-olds are more likely to believe that the number of Jews killed during the Holocaust has been exaggerated.
Gideon Taylor, president of the Claims Conference, said: “The alarming gaps in knowledge, particularly among younger generations, highlight an urgent need for more effective Holocaust education. The fact that a significant number of adults cannot identify basic facts — such as the six million Jews who perished —is deeply concerning.
“Equally troubling is the widespread belief that something like the Holocaust could happen again, underscoring the critical importance of educating people about the consequences of unchecked hatred and bigotry. We are proud of the progress made by our partners worldwide, but this Index makes it clear: there is still much more work to be done.”
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