The Globalization of Resentment: Antisemitism in an Inter‐ and Transnational Context

Abstract

ObjectiveThe article presents a global comparison of antisemitic attitudes and their functions.MethodsThe sample of the study consists of 18 countries from five continents surveyed in 2011 by the Pew Research Center (n = 13,975). These data are analyzed using multilevel analyses.ResultsIt can be shown that antisemitism, on the one hand, offers a pseudo‐explanation for rapid social change by equating capitalism, “American imperialism,” and globalization with Jews, and on the other hand is used for the construction of nationalistic boundaries. Nationalism and anti‐globalization views are particularly important predictors in countries with higher GDP per capita. Those countries, however, have comparatively low base rates of antisemitism whereas Muslim countries have rather high ones. Cross‐level parameters show that especially Muslims living in countries that are rather democratic but have low GDP and where Muslims are a minority report negative views of Jews.ConclusionThere is a significant global variation of negative attitudes toward Jews. The theoretical approaches at hand best describe the situation in economically stable regions.