Antisemitic attitudes rise sharply in Sweden, new study finds

A government-backed report published Tuesday shows a marked increase in antisemitic attitudes among Swedes, with fewer people rejecting antisemitic statements compared to five years ago.

The study, Antisemitic Attitudes in Sweden, was conducted by the Living History Forum, a state agency tasked with promoting democracy and human rights through historical education. Researchers compared survey data from 2020 and 2025, finding a clear shift toward more negative perceptions of Jewish people.

Henrik Bachner, the report’s author and a historian specializing in intellectual history, cited the war in Gaza and the role of social media as likely factors behind the trend. “The reinforced antisemitism we’ve seen since Hamas’s attack on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza may be reflected in this increase,” Bachner said. He added that social media platforms contribute by “spreading, amplifying, and normalizing antisemitism,” though he stressed that multiple overlapping causes are probable.

The survey measured three key areas: social acceptance of Jewish people in roles such as neighbors, bosses, or political leaders; belief in long-standing antisemitic tropes, including claims of outsized Jewish influence over politics and media; and antisemitism linked to views on Israel. Participation in the 2025 survey, carried out by Statistics Sweden (SCB) on behalf of the Living History Forum, included 6,789 respondents.

Petra Mårselius, the agency’s director-general, described the findings as “not entirely unexpected.” The 2020 survey was conducted by the polling firm Novus.