ADL says one 45-minute lesson can reduce antisemitic beliefs in teens

A single 45-minute classroom lesson on contemporary antisemitism can significantly reduce teenagers’ endorsement of antisemitic conspiracy theories, according to new research released by the Anti-Defamation League’s Center for Antisemitism Research.

A randomized evaluation of 372 middle and high school students in nine schools found that students who received the lesson were 14.4 percentage points more likely than those in a control group to reject the claim that Jews have too much power in the United States, the report says.

The lesson also produced a 15.5-point reduction in endorsement of the antisemitic trope that Jews are more loyal to Israel than to the United States. Students were also less likely to endorse tropes involving Jewish control and media influence and were 13.6 percentage points less likely to minimize antisemitism as an issue.

A separate online experiment involving 5,005 high school students nationwide also showed that the single class reduced trope endorsement, including among students whose attitudes are typically considered more difficult to change.

“We now have data showing that a single, well-designed lesson, taught by educators with no special training, can measurably shift how teens think about antisemitism. That’s a solvable problem for schools,” says Matt Williams, vice president of the center. “Districts don’t need a semester-long unit or a major new investment to make progress, they need the right 45 minutes, and now we’re closer to knowing what that looks like.”