JPR study: British Jewish attachment to Israel and Zionist identification up since 7 October

Right · 2The Institute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR) published a study, "October 8 Jews: The impact of October 7", showing that British Jews' attachment to Israel and self-identification as Zionists rose after the Hamas attack of 7 October 2023. 1 2 Right · 1The study used JPR's longitudinal panel, tracking the same 2,500 British Jews across several survey waves from July 2020 to June 2025, so it could measure individual changes rather than rely on recollection or one-off polls. 1 Right · 1Self-identification as a Zionist rose from 59% in November 2022 to 65% in June 2024 and 66% in June 2025, while anti-Zionist identification stayed at 9–10% and non-Zionist identification fell from 17% to 14%. 1

Right · 2The share of British Jews who feel very emotionally attached to Israel rose from 38% before the attacks to 50% in June 2024 and 51% in June 2025, and overall emotional attachment rose from 72% to 78%. 1 2 Right · 1Arab News reported that 45% now say support for Israel is very important to their Jewish identity, up 10 points, and that those under 30 are less likely than other age groups to say so (27%). 2 Right · 1Concern about antisemitism rose sharply: the share calling it a very big problem in the UK went from 17% in May 2023 to 47% in June 2024 and 50% in June 2025, and the share reporting a personal antisemitic incident rose from 17–20% in 2020–22 to 29% over 2023 to mid-2024. 1

Right · 1Average feelings of safety on a 0–10 scale fell from 7.4 to 5.8 and an anxiety index rose from 2.99 to 3.76; the report suggests the anxiety stems mainly from concern about antisemitism in the UK rather than about Israel's security. 1 Right · 1Other changes included a rise in the mean score for likelihood of making aliyah within five years from 1.38 to 1.95, still below the 2.29 recorded in July 2020, and an increase in the share prioritising Israel charities from 6% to 16%. 1 Right · 1Broader markers of Jewish identity and practice barely moved: mean strength of Jewish identity stayed around 8.3 out of 10, and synagogue attendance and self-described religiosity were flat, leading the report to conclude that 7 October was a watershed mainly for emotional ties to Israel and Jewish peoplehood. 1

Right · 1JPR director Jonathan Boyd said the rise in affiliation with Israel was directly associated with concern about antisemitism in Britain and with associations of Israel as a Jewish homeland, and that younger Jews' views of Israel have more to do with Gaza and Hamas than older generations' do. 2 Right · 1Boyd added that a higher birth rate among Orthodox Jews, who tend to be more closely tied to communities in Israel, would reinforce the trend. 2 Right · 2The fieldwork predates the Manchester synagogue attack of October 2025 and the Iran war that began on 28 February 2026, and the report asks how Jewish leaders and educators can turn these modest changes into deeper participation and engagement. 2 1