Le Journal du Dimanche has published the results of a survey about racial attitudes in France conducted by marketing research firm Ipsos and commissioned by La Fondation de Judaïsme Français.
The 18-month study began well before the weekend of attacks that began at the Charlie Hebdo offices in January of 2015 and concluded before the attacks of last November. Ariel Goldmann, president of La Fondation, admitted that attitudes have probably changed in the wake of the most recent terrorist attacks but was unsure how. “What were the effects? The closing of ranks? Increased confidence?” he told JDD.
The general population of France was queried while also giving voice specifically to the thoughts and feelings of the Jewish and Muslim population.
“There’s no perfect definition of who is Jewish or Muslim and who isn’t, since these groups aren’t defined solely by their religion,” Brice Teinturier, the managing director of Ipsos, told JDD. “The best way to proceed was from the definition of the interviewee themselves.”
One in ten Jewish respondents said that they had personally been physically assaulted, while 41% of Muslims said they had been the victim of insults or racist remarks. About half of those surveyed believed that France was less than half Catholic and more than 20% Muslim and 10% Jewish.
90% of Muslims responding believed that they shared “much in common” with Jews, while only 44% of the general population think that religions coexist well with each other in France.
27% of people survey believe that the majority of Muslims are not well-integrated, 44% believe that half the Muslim population is well-integrated and half is not, and only 29% believe most Muslims in France are well-integrated with French society. 89% of people surveyed who believe that Muslims are not well-integrated attribute the lack of assimilation to being “down on themselves” and refusing to “open up to society.”
80% also believe that the Roma are poorly integrated into society.
91% responded that they believe the Jewish population is insular and tight-knit, with a majority also believing that Jews have a lot of power, are richer than the average French citizen, and are more attached to Israel than they are to France. 13% believe there are a few too many Jews in the country.
Not surprisingly, 92% of the Jews polled think that anti-Semitism has increased in France, 67% of whom say it has increased greatly.
La Fondation du Judaïsme Français’s full study can be found on the Ipsos website.
Update: Vox has taken figures from The Jewish Agency and crafted a chart comparing the number of Jews leaving their home countries to move to Israel.