More Americans blame Jews for Christ's death

Published: 2004-04-12

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- There has been a significant increase in the number of Americans who believe that the Jews were responsible for Christ's death, said a Pew research report. It said a mid-March survey of 1,703 Americans 18 or older found particularly sharp rises in that viewpoint among U.S. blacks and Hispanics and among those under the age of 30. Overall, 26 percent of survey respondents said yes to the question, "Do you feel the Jews were responsible for Christ's death or not?" This represents a seven-point increase in seven years. Among those who had seen Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ," 36 percent answered that question affirmatively. Among those who said they planned to see the movie, 29 percent held that position. Only 17 percent of those who did not plan to see the movie thought the Jews were responsible for Christ's death.

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