Poll: More than one-third of European Jews have considered emigrating due to anti-Semitism

More than one in three European Jews have thought about leaving their home in the past five years due to what they call a surge of anti-Semitism causing safety concerns, according to a European Union study published Monday.

Thirty-eight percent of the respondents told pollsters working for the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights said they had considered emigrating because they do not feel safe as Jews in the country where they reside.

Twenty-eight percent said they experienced anti-Semitic harassment at least once in the last 12 months and 20 percent said they knew family members or other people who were harassed.

{mosads}Of the respondents, 47 percent expressed worry about anti-Semitic insults and 40 percent were concerned they could be physically attacked for being Jewish. 

Jewish people in France that were surveyed felt particularly unsafe, followed by those in Poland, Belgium, and Germany.

Eighty-nine percent of respondents said they feel that anti-Semitism has increased in their country over the last five years and 85 percent said the surge was a serious problem.

Eighty-nine percent of those surveyed said antisemitism was most present on the internet and social media.

Over a third of respondents said they avoid taking part in Jewish events or visiting Jewish sites because they fear for their safety or feel insecure.

The survey polled 16,395 people who identify as Jewish and were 16 or older across 12 E.U. member states. Those states contain about 97 percent of the estimated Jewish population in the E.U. It followed up on the agency’s first survey published in 2012.

The survey took place over seven weeks from May through June 2018 and was conducted online. The results are based on unweighted data, except for the averages of the 12 countries.

Updated at 3:58 p.m.