New UJS polling shows scale of campus antisemitism crisis
Union of Jewish Students report reveals 50% of students have witnessed glorification of Hezbollah and Hamas and 20% of students don't want to house share with a Jewish student
The Union of Jewish Students is calling for action from the government and regulators to address antisemitism in higher education, with its latest report detailing pervasive Jew hatred across university campuses.
Published today, UJS’s landmark ‘Time for Change’ poll revealed that 1 in 5 students (20%) are not open to house sharing with a Jewish student; 49% of students have seen Hamas and Hezbollah glorified on campus, and 47% witnessed the justification of the 7 October 2023 massacre.
The UJS report, co-supported by Baroness Luciana Berger and Lord Daniel Finkelstein, polled 1,000 students between 26 January and 4 February 2026.
It contains testimonies from Jewish students at universities including Exeter, Bristol, Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh, UCL, Oxford and Queen Mary in London, who report strained friendships, social ostracisation, harassment, intimidation and even physical assault.
UJS is calling for immediate, coordinated action from government, regulators, police and university leaders to restore Jewish students’ confidence and ensure they can participate fully in education, living outward, proud Jewish lives on campus.
A government spokesperson said: “The Education Secretary has asked Sir David Bell to lead a review into antisemitism at schools and colleges, to ensure they are better able to prevent, identify and respond effectively to antisemitism and all other forms of hatred and prejudice.”
Jewish News understands that this review only covers secondary education, and not universities.
The spokesperson continued, saying that “there is no place for antisemitism on university campuses, and it is essential that Jewish students feel safe, along with everyone regardless of race, religion. That’s why we have strengthened how the Office for Students monitors universities’ Prevent duties, updated guidance on managing external speakers and events, and are working with students to co-design a Campus Cohesion Charter setting clearer expectations around conduct and shared values.”
Photo Credit: Campaign Against Antisemitism
The Time for Change report sets out six recommendations, including accountability for universities’ handling of hate crimes, better governance of students’ unions, investigation into extremist student groups, and a step up in coordination between government, universities and police.
The proposals are designed not to restrict lawful protest, but to ensure that harassment, intimidation and glorification of terrorism are met with firm consequences.
UJS president Louis Danker said: “This report demonstrates that antisemitism on campus is not isolated, but normalised. No Jewish student should have to face social ostracisation, abusive language or physical violence – there is a right to protest, but not to harass.
“If we are serious about combatting extremism in Britain, we have to start on campus, where half of students have seen glorification of Hamas or Hezbollah. Concerned sentiments and piecemeal progress are not enough – we need urgent action to restore campuses as places of learning, not hostility.”
He added that UJS “will continue to support our students to live unapologetic, proud Jewish lives on campus”.
The Union of Jewish Students supports more than 10,000 Jewish students across 80 Jewish Societies (JSocs), delivering national advocacy, educational programming, and welfare support.
Board of Deputies Vice President Karen Newman described how the report “makes for truly sickening reading.
“This new publication is a wakeup call that the situation has to change. It is not for Jews to shrink their identity on campus to fit in, but for universities to ensure they are welcome and tolerant places for all.”
A Jewish Leadership Council spokesperson said: “For almost two and a half years, too many Jewish students have faced relentless antisemitic abuse on campus. Proscribed terrorist organisations, responsible for the murder of thousands of Jews, have been glorified and celebrated, while regular protests have disrupted learning for all students.
“This crucial report shows precisely how widespread and normalised this hatred has become. We fully endorse its recommendations. We thank UJS
for commissioning this research and for the vital work they do to combat antisemitism on campus. But this should not be necessary. It is time for change.”
Speaking on LBC radio on Monday morning, Baroness Deech, former principal of St Anne’s College Oxford, said: “We’ve got the greatest universities in the world, and look what they have sunk to.”
- You can read the full report here.
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