Nazi indoctrination and anti-Semitic beliefs in Germany
Nico Voigtländer, Hans-Joachim Voth
National Academy of Sciences
Attempts at modifying public opinions, attitudes, and beliefs range
from advertising and schooling to “brainwashing.” Their effective-
ness is highly controversial. In this paper, we use survey data on anti-
Semitic beliefs and attitudes in a representative sample of Germans
surveyed in 1996 and 2006 to show that Nazi indoctrination––with
its singular focus on fostering racial hatred––was highly effective.
Between 1933 and 1945, young Germans were exposed to anti-Se-
mitic ideology in schools, in the (extracurricular) Hitler Youth, and
through radio, print, and film. As a result, Germans who grew up
under the Nazi regime are much more anti-Semitic than those born
before or after that period: the share of committed anti-Semites,
who answer a host of questions about attitudes toward Jews in
an extreme fashion, is 2–3 times higher than in the population as a
whole. Results also hold for average beliefs, and not just the share of
extremists; average views of Jews are much more negative among
those born in the 1920s and 1930s. Nazi indoctrination was most
effective where it could tap into preexisting prejudices; those born
in districts that supported anti-Semitic parties before 1914 show the
greatest increases in anti-Jewish attitudes. These findings demon-
strate the extent to which beliefs can be modified through policy
intervention. We also identify parameters amplifying the effective-
ness of such measures, such as preexisting prejudices.