Written by György Polgár
Claims Conference, an organisation that deals with Jewish claims against Germany, recently published a study on the knowledge of people about the Holocaust in eight countries.
The report by the Global Strategy Group is based on a representative survey conducted in November 2023, interviewing 1,000 people aged 18 and over in Hungary, the United Kingdom, France, Austria, Germany, Poland, Romania and the USA. Special attention was given to the knowledge of the 18-29 age group.
The taskforce for the study was led by Matthew Bronfman, board member of the Claims Conference. The group comprised historians and experts from museums, educational institutions, and organizations active in the field of Holocaust education. András Zima, Director of the Holocaust Memorial Center, and Andrea Szőnyi, Director of the Zachor Foundation, participated from the Hungarian side.
The key findings of the survey are as follows:
1. A majority of adults across almost all countries surveyed believe something like the Holocaust could happen again today.
In all countries, high proportions believe that incidents like the Holocaust could happen again. The highest rate (76%) was measured in the United States, while the lowest was in Romania (44%). In Hungary, 52% of respondents think the Holocaust could happen again. 69% in the UK, 63% in France, 62% in Austria, 61% in Germany and 54% in Poland were on the same opinion.
2. Many people in the USA cannot name a single death camp or ghetto.
When asked if they knew of any concentration camps, transit camps or ghettos, nearly half of the Americans (48%) could not name any. In the UK, France and Romania, a quarter of respondents proved to be unaware, compared to 18% in Germany and Hungary, 10% in Austria and 7% in Poland. The most frequently mentioned place was Auschwitz-Birkenau.
3. The number of murdered Jews is underestimated.
The vast majority of people are not aware that six million Jews were killed in the Holocaust, and a significant proportion believe that two million or less were murdered. In Romania 28%, Hungary 27%, Poland 24%, France, the United States and Austria 21%, Britain 20%, and Germany 18% of people think that two million or less Jews were killed. 45% of Hungarians knew the correct figure. Among them, slightly more than half of young adults were aware of the correct number.
4. In Hungary, almost everyone is aware of the Holocaust, which is not the case in many countries.
One in five French respondents said that they had never heard of the term “Holocaust” before the survey or were not sure if they had. This proportion is even higher for 18–29-year-olds in France (46%), but in it was less in Romania (15%), Austria (14%) and Germany (12%). In contrast, in Hungary, nearly 100% of respondents had heard of the Shoah or thought they had.
5. Many believe that the number of Jews murdered during the Shoah is exaggerated.
A significant proportion of people do not believe that the number of Jews killed in the Holocaust is accurate. Of the survey respondents, 25% in France and Austria, 24% in Germany, 23% in Poland and Romania, 19% in Hungary, 17% in the UK and 16% in the USA disagree that the Holocaust happened and that the number of Jews murdered is accurate and correct.
In the countries surveyed, 18–29-year-olds are the most likely to think that the number of Jews killed in the Holocaust is overestimated. In Romania, 53% of this age group agree that the Holocaust took place, however, they believe that the number of Jews killed is greatly exaggerated. This compares with 22% in Hungary, 33% in France, 14% in Poland, 21% in Austria, 13% in Germany, 15% in the United States and 11% in the United Kingdom.
6. The denial and relativisation of the Holocaust is particularly common in Hungary.
Hungarians and Americans were the most likely to say that Holocaust denial is common in their country, with 45% of Hungarians and 44% of Americans saying this. This figure was 38% in France, 34% in Germany, 27% in Austria, 24% in the UK and Romania, while in Poland it was 20%. Almost half of the adults in the United States (49%), Hungary (47%), France (44%) and Germany (44%) reported that distortions of the Holocaust are common in their country. This is lower in Austria (34%), Poland (27%), the UK (26%) and Romania (25%).
Nearly half of the Poles (47%) answered with “yes” to the question whether they had encountered Holocaust denial or distortion on social media. In Austria and Hungary, the proportion is 38%, in Germany 37%, in the US 33%, in Romania 25%, in the UK 23% and in France 20%.
Explanation to the above figure: Holocaust [Shoah] denial belies historical reality and the extent of the extermination of Jews by the German Nazis and their accomplices during World War II, known as the Holocaust [Shoah]. Holocaust [Shoah] denial refers specifically to any attempt to claim that the Holocaust [Shoah] did not take place. Holocaust [Shoah] denial may include the public denial or calling into doubt the use of principal mechanisms of destruction (such as gas chambers, mass shooting, starvation and torture) or the intentionality of the genocide of the Jewish people.
7. Across all countries, an overwhelming majority believes, it is important to continue teaching about the Holocaust.
In the United States and Poland this figure is 96%, in the United Kingdom and Germany 94%, in France and Romania 93%, in Hungary 91%. Similarly high proportions of respondents believe that there is a need for Holocaust education in schools. This percentage was highest in the United States (95%), 93% in Poland, 92% in the United Kingdom, 91% in France, 88% in Hungary, 87% in Germany, 84% in Austria and 78% in Romania.
Overall, while general awareness of the Holocaust is on the whole high, the percentage of misinformation or incomplete knowledge is high too. There is a great need for more knowledge about the history of the Shoah, especially in schools. Matthew Bronfman, head of the working group, said: “As we continue to delve into these surveys and understand better where Holocaust education is working and where it requires attention, it is powerful to see that a majority of all people polled across all countries in this index not only agree that Holocaust education is important, but want to continue teaching the Holocaust in schools. Now our task is clear; we must take this mandate and make it happen.”
The article is a reproduction of an article originally published in Szombat magazine under the title “Almost everyone in Hungary is aware of the Holocaust, but this is not the case in every country“. Thanks to the author and Szombat for permission to publish it.
Translation into English by György Polgár