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One-quarter of Canadians believe the Holocaust is exaggerated: poll
Canadians between the ages of 25 and 34 were most likely (31%) to doubt the official death toll of the Holocaust, followed by 27% of those between the ages of 18 and 24
There is rising Holocaust skepticism in Canada, especially among young people, according to a new national poll.
The new poll, which was conducted by Leger for the Association for Canadian Studies, comes amidst rising rates of antisemitism in Canada following the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel and the nation’s subsequent war against Hamas.
In November 2019, pollsters found just 17 per cent of Canadians said that fewer than six million Jews perished in the Holocaust. By May 2024, that number had jumped to 24 per cent.
Even looking at shorter time periods, such as between late February 2024 and mid-May 2024, there was an uptick in the number of Canadians who believe the Holocaust has been exaggerated. In February, pollsters found that only five per cent of Canadians believed the Holocaust was exaggerated. By May, that had jumped to nine per cent. That view more than doubled between those aged 45 to 54, from four per cent to 11 per cent, and nearly doubled in those aged 25 to 34, from eight per cent to 15 per cent.