Anti-Jewish bias in German higher education

This study examines the extent of anti-Jewish bias in German higher education through a survey experiment conducted among students (N=1,416) at a regional, average-sized German university (about 20.000 students) in the fall of 2024/2025. Using a between-subjects design, participants were randomly assigned to evaluate English academic writing courses taught by instructors whose profiles varied by gender and ethnic/religious background—categorized as German, low-visibility Israeli/Jewish identity, and high-visibility Israeli/Jewish identity. Instructors were rated on likability and competence using 7-point scales. Results reveal differences in likability ratings: instructors with a highly visible Israeli/Jewish identity—particularly male instructors—received significantly lower ratings compared to their German counterparts. Instructors with low-visibility Israeli/Jewish identity were not rated significantly differently. In addition, a gender bias emerged: female instructors with German profiles were evaluated less favorably than male German instructors. Notably, the negative evaluations of highly visible Israeli/Jewish instructors were primarily driven by female student raters, while male students exhibited gender bias but showed no significant evidence of anti-Jewish bias. Overall, the findings indicate that negative evaluations in academic settings are shaped by both identity visibility and evaluator characteristics. They suggest that antisemitic bias can affect student assessments of instructors, particularly when Jewish identity is salient

Affect (linguistics) · Competence (human resources) · Gender bias · German · Higher education · Identity (music) · Social identity theory · German legal, social, and political studies · Jewish Identity and Society · Social and Intergroup Psychology