A new survey has revealed the extent of antisemitism among university students in the United Kingdom (UK), with one in five expressing reluctance to share a house with a Jewish student.

The poll was conducted by the firm JL Partners on behalf of the British Union of Jewish Students (UJS), polled 1 000 students across 170 institutions, and was weighted to reflect the demographic profile of British students.

The poll highlighted the deepening climate of hostility faced by Jewish students on campuses across the UK.

The findings underscore the prevalence of antisemitism, with 23% of respondents reporting having witnessed harassment or discrimination directed at Jewish peers. Furthermore, nearly 40% of students who participated in Israel-Palestine protests said they had observed frequent harassment of Jewish students during such events. Sixteen percent of students said they believed that the glorification of the 7 October Hamas attacks should be protected as free speech.

The UJS has called for stronger and more enforceable policies to combat antisemitism on university campuses.

The UJS’s president, Louis Danker, emphasised the need for institutions to take a firmer stance against discrimination, ensuring Jewish students feel safe and supported in their educational environment.

He said, “The report demonstrates that far too often Jewish students in Britain have been villainised by opponents of Israeli government action, regardless of their citizenship or views. The language used is often violent and threatening, and terrorist attacks in Manchester and Sydney have demonstrated that violent language can breed violent acts.”

“This report must mark a point of inflection in the response to rising antisemitism on campus and across society. One in five students in this country would be reluctant to house-share with a Jew. That is no position for a proud liberal democracy to find itself in. It's high time that institutions stare down the scourge of antisemitism and heed our call for change.”