Basic Holocaust knowledge is lacking in eight countries surveyed by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference), but more than half of respondents fear that a similar genocide could happen again.
An index of Holocaust knowledge and awareness conducted by Historians and experts from institutions including Yad Vashem, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the Claims Conference, found that large swathes of young adults hadn't heard of the Holocaust.
The November survey of 1,000 adults from the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Austria, Germany, Poland, Hungary, and Romania found that 46% of French, 15% of Romanian, 14% of Austrian, and 12% of German 18-29 year old adults had not heard of the Holocaust.
One in five French adults reportedly had not heard or weren't sure if they had heard of the Shoah, the Claims Conference said on Thursday.
"The bleak picture emerging from this survey is of a growing gap in knowledge of the Holocaust, which is particularly concerning in countries where Nazi atrocities took place," Yad Vashem Dani Dayan said in a statement.
The survey claimed that 16% of Americans, 17% of British, 19% of Hungarian, 23% of Polish and Romanian, 24% in German, and 25% of French and Austrian respondents disagreed that the Holocaust happened as described. Almost half of Americans, Hungarians, French, and Germans believed that Holocaust distortion was common in their respective countries.
18-29 year old respondents were more likely to believe that the number of Holocaust victims had been exaggerated. In Romania, 53% of participants believed that while the Holocaust happened, the number of Jews killed was far less than claimed. In the same age bracket, 22% of Hungarian, 33% of French, 14% of Polish, 21% of Austrian, 13$ of German, 15 % of American, and 11% of British young adults also thought the amount of casualties was greatly exaggerated.
Large portions of respondents believed that two million or less Jews were murdered in the Holocaust, including 28% of Romanians, 27% of Hungarians, and 24% of Poles. 18% of Germans and around 20% of British, French, American, and Austrian participants believer less than 2 million Jews had died in the genocide.
Claims Conference Gideon Taylor stated that "The fact that a significant number of adults cannot identify basic facts — such as the 6 million Jews who perished — is deeply concerning."
Almost half of American participants could not name a camp or ghetto, nor could almost a quarter British, French, or Romanian respondents. 7% of Poles, 10% of Austrians, and 18% of Germans and Hungarians could name a camp, with Auschwitz-Birkenau being the most well-known camp or ghetto.
Fears of a second Shoah
Over half of respondents in most of the eight countries feared that something like the Holocaust could happen again, with more than three quarters of Americans, 69% of Brits, 63% of French, 62% of Austrians, and 61% of Germans holding the belief. 54% of Poles, 52% of Hungarians, and 44% of Romanians believed that a Holocaust could happen in modern times.
Taylor said that it was troubling how many believed that "something like the Holocaust could happen again."
Dayan and Index Taskforce Lead Matthew Bronfman found hope in the broad belief that Holocaust education was important.
Nine in ten of respondents from all countries believed that it was important to continue teaching about the Holocaust, and about eight in ten across the countries desired Holocaust education in schools.
Claims Conference Executive Vice President Greg Schneider said in a statement that with the Holocaust survivor population rapidly declining, the survey served as a warning about education.
"This is our final chance, our last moment in history, to honor their legacy by ensuring that our commitment to remembering their experiences is unshakable and unwavering," said Schneider.