May 2025 Survey: How Americans think about antisemitism on campus today
Chicago Project on Security and Threats
Robert A. Pape | May 12, 2025
CPOST's May 2025 national survey shows disturbing findings for universities on how Americans think about antisemitism on campus today. The survey was fielded by NORC at the University of Chicago (May 1-5, 2025), n = 2131, MOE 2.9% and includes questions that follow up CPOST's 2024 national survey of 5,000 college students summarized in our CPOST Campus Fears report.
Three findings are important:
- 45% of American adults -- nearly half the public -- see antisemitism on university campuses as a "serious" or "very serious" issue. This includes 40% of Democrats as well as 54% of Republicans.
- 28% of American adults -- over 1 in 4 -- see "Ivy League Universities like Harvard and Yale" as their "enemy." Importantly, 47% of Democrats are unsure and only 31% of Democrats see Ivy League universities as their
- 25% of American adults -- 1 in 4 -- agree that "the federal government should defund Ivy League universities." Importantly, 27% of Democrats, 50% of Independents and 36% of Republicans are ambivalent. Only 39% of all American adults "disagree" or "strongly disagree."
These findings mean:
- Highly negative views of universities now deeply and broadly in the mainstream.
- As a result, the pressures on universities by the federal government could well grow because they are becoming popular among core political constituencies and support for universities" from "other" segments is softer than one might expect
- Overall, these findings suggest that universities, especially our leading universities, need much more ambitious efforts to clarify campus rules and show that the recommendations from the growing number of reports and actions to reduce campus unrest while maintaining high standards of free speech are being implemented in productive ways for all students on campus to flourish.
The survey topline is available here.