American Public Opinion Polls: Jewish Population Survey - College Students

Total Jewish Population Base (Age 18-29)

Most American Jews, including college students, observe a number of important Jewish holidays and rituals.

Regarding Jewish religious denominations, college students are less likely than all U.S. Jews to identify as Conservative, and they are more likely to say they are secular or "just Jewish."

College students are less likely to have been to Israel, ^{1 sbout as likely to volunteer for a Jewish organization, and more likely to use the Internet for Jewish purposes.}

¹ The differences in rates of travel to Israel are likely due to age. College students, by virtue of being younger, have had less time to travel to Israel than other Jewish adults.

College students attend religious services less often than all U.S. Jews do, but the difference is modest.

The same discrepancy between Jewish college students and all U.S. Jews is evident in these measures of attitudes toward Judaism and Jewish peoplehood.

Jewish college students' have less intense feelings about Jewish peoplehood than all U.S. Jews.

Similiarly, college and all U.S. Jews are more likely to say they are politically liberal than either moderate or conservative.

College students and all U.S. Jews are more likely to identify as Democrats than as Republicans, independents, or something else.

Over one-quarter of Jewish college students reported they personally experienced anti-Semitism in the year before the survey, slightly more than all U.S. Jews.

College students perceive slightly less anti-Semitism in the United States than all U.S. Jews do, but most Jews perceive a moderate or great deal of anti-Semitism.

Nearly as many Jewish college students have one Jewish parent as have two Jewish parents.

Sources: 2000-2001 National Jewish Population Survey, United Jewish Communities