New survey shows key misconceptions about the Holocaust from UK students

New research shows that a significant percentage of UK secondary school students have major misconceptions about key elements of the Holocaust, including the incorrect belief that German soldiers who refused to murder Jews would generally themselves be killed.

The UCL Centre for Holocaust Education, which has surveyed 2,778 students in 21 secondary schools across England, found that 60% thought that a “kill or be killed” policy existed in relation to Third Reich troops who took part in the murders of the Shoah. Only 14.2% correctly identified that members of the German occupying forces who refused an order to kill Jewish people would typically be moved to other duties, rather than shot. Meanwhile, a third of respondents attributed sole responsibility of the Holocaust to Hitler, with many others naming Hitler and “the Nazis” but not recognising the wider web of complicity across Europe.

The latest study draws on four national surveys since 2008, covering more than 12,000 students and 3,000 teachers. The survey did find, however, that there has been marked improvement in some areas of knowledge about the Holocaust, such as correctly defining “antisemitism” which rose from just 28.3% in 2016 to 75.2% in 2025.

As one might expect, a significant number of those surveyed said that they had seen Holocaust-related content on social media – but almost 60% said they had seen such content when they were not looking for it, particularly on TikTok. In the past, the platform has been criticised for attitudes promoted by a section of its users, such as in 2020 where a trend on the platform saw people pretending to be Holocaust survivors. Earlier this year TikTok partnered with the World Jewish Congress and UNESCO to launch new resources “that elevate the voice of survivors and connect users to educational material from global experts”.

The survey also reported that of those who had stumbled across Holocaust content online, 21.1% reported “quite a lot” or “a lot” of trust in social media, while 38.0% said they had “little or no trust” in their teachers.

Dr Andy Pearce, Director of the UCL Centre for Holocaust Education, said: “Our findings should serve as a warning. Students are arriving in the classroom with misconceptions about the Holocaust, shaped in part by misinformation they encounter on social media. More often than not, they are being served this content without seeking it out.

“While some of that information will be accurate, denial, distortion and conspiracy theories are only ever a few clicks away. Students should not be left to navigate that alone. They need teachers with the time and training to help them think critically about what they come across online.”

While the Holocaust has been a named topic in the National Curriculum for history since 1991, the Centre noted that the rapid growth of multi-academy trusts means most schools are no longer legally required to follow that curriculum.

Teachers also report that curriculum time is under increasing pressure, particularly where schools have adopted a compressed two-year Key Stage 3. 42.8% in the Centre’s 2023 study said they faced difficulties teaching the Holocaust to Years 7 and 8 within a two-year Key Stage 3 programme.

“While there has been strong advances in what students know about the Holocaust, stubborn gaps and misunderstandings remain. If, for instance, students think only Hitler was responsible, they miss how ordinary people became complicit in atrocity. If they believe perpetrators had no agency, then they misunderstand how conformity can work and underestimate the role of prejudice and personal gain.

“The recent Curriculum and Assessment Review’s recommendation to keep teaching of the Holocaust compulsory at Key Stage 3 is welcome, but it must be backed with sufficient curriculum time and specialist teacher development. That is how students’ knowledge can be improved and misconceptions combatted.”