After Paris Poll of UK Jews We’re staying put, say nine out of 10

THE VAST majority of Britain’s Jews have no intention of packing their bags despite rising concern about safety after the Paris attacks, according to an authoritative new poll for the JC.

Almost nine out of 1o — 88 per cent — say that they have not considered quitting the UK since last week’s atrocities, compared to just 11 per cent who have thought of leaving. Among 18-34 year olds, however, the percentage of those who say they have considered leaving jumps to over 17 per cent.

Considering overall safety in the wake of the murders in Paris, nearly a third report feeling “much more concerned”.

When asked about their personal safety, three-quarters still feel secure — over three times more than those who do not. Seventeen per cent feel “very safe” and 58 per cent “quite safe”, compared to 19 per cent who feel “quite unsafe” and only three per cent “very unsafe”. The remaining three per cent are undecided.

The poll was carried out for the JC by Survation, with a representative sample of more than 550 from Britain’s Jewish population. It is the first ever reliable poll of Britain’s Jewish community and marks a breakthrough in the ability to gauge its opinions.

Asked whether life in Britain is getting better or worse for Jews in Britain, nearly half — 45 per cent — say that it is “about the same”. But considerably more think it has deteriorated than those who believe life has improved.

Thirty-four per cent feel it has got “slightlyworse”andninepercent“much worse” – considerably more than those who think it has improved. Just two per cent think it has got “much better” and eight per cent “slightly better”.

Events in Paris have clearly had an impact, with 32 per cent feeling “much more concerned” about their safety as a result, and 41 per cent “slightly more concerned”; 27 per cent say they have made no difference.

Over the past few days, police, political leaders and community organisations have sought to give reassurance about security measures put in place. The police mounted additional patrols in high areas of Jewish population in London and Manchester last Shabbat.

The findings of the Survation poll contrast with figures from an online questionnaire carried out by the Campaign Against Antisemitism, which reported this week that one in four British Jews had considered leaving in the past two years because of antisemitism and 45 per cent were concerned that Jews had no long-term future here.

But the reliability of the CAA data has been questioned. Social scientist Dr Keith Kahn-Harris said it was “methodologically invalid. There can be no confidence in its representativeness”.

In a separate poll conducted by YouGov for the CAA, 45 per cent of British people believed at least of one six negative statements about Jews presented to them. One in five of the 3,400 who were questioned thought that loyalty to Israel made Jews less loyal to Britain than other Britons.

In the largest survey of European Jewry on antisemitism — carried out by the Institute for Jewish Policy Research and published last year — 18 per cent of British Jews said they had thought of leaving over the previous five years because of safety concerns. A further one per cent said they had emigrated but returned.

Full results at www.thejc.com