Analytics, Estonia, Society

A total of 86% of the respondents do not consider antisemitism to be a problem in Estonia, while 6% hold the opposite opinion and 7% say they do not know whether to consider it a problem or not, it appears from the results of a Eurobarometer survey.

By comparison, an average of 50% of the respondents in the European Union say antisemitism is a problem in their country, whereas 43% disagree.

When asked if antisemitism has increased, stayed the same or decreased in the past five years, 60% of respondents in Estonia said it has remained unchanged, 7% said it has increased and an equal share said it has decreased.

Respondents aged 15 to 24 were more likely to consider antisemitism to be a problem and to report they believe it has increased in the past five years. 

Manifestations of antisemitism were observed most often on the internet and the social media, where 12% of the respondents reported it to be problematic. 9% of the respondents also said that people denying the Holocaust and desecrating Jewish cemeteries is a problem in Estonia.

Of the respondents, 24% said that people in Estonia are well informed about the history, customs and practices of Jewish people, whereas 66% disagreed. The average figures in the European Union are 27% and 68%, respectively.

When asked whether the Holocaust is sufficiently taught in schools in Estonia, 37% of the respondents gave an affirmative answer, compared to the EU average of 43%. 24% of the respondents in Estonia and and average of 42% of those in the EU consider it insufficient.

Respondents polled in Estonia said they do not think that conflicts in the Middle East have an influence on the way Jewish people are perceived in Estonia -- a total of 66% held that belief compared to the EU average of 35%. 21% of the respondents in Estonia said the conflicts affect Estonians' perception of the Jewish people, whereas the EU average was 54%. 

The Eurobarometer survey was carried out from Dec. 4 to 17 during which 1,004 voting-age citizens were interviewed. The results of the survey were published on Tuesday, the International Holocaust Remembrance Day.