Widespread ignorance and uncertainty over October 7: Crossroads25 survey

Many Australians are unsure about the October 7 massacre, so do not understand why Israel fought the war in Gaza.

TJI's Crossroads25 survey found that less than half of a representative sample of Australians believed it was “broadly true” that “Hamas killed around 1,200 Israelis in the attacks on October 7, 2023”.

The responses to the statement reflected a high level of caution about the statement: 48% agreed it was “broadly true”, 5% said “broadly untrue”, 3% answered “prefer not to say”, and 44% were “not sure”.

Crossroads25, commissioned by The Jewish Independent, provides methodologically sound data on Australian attitudes to Jews, Israel and antisemitism, including longitudinal comparison with the Crossroads21 survey. The survey was designed by Emeritus Professor Andrew Markus and conducted during August by the polling company YouGov across a sample size of 2270 Australians.

While only 5% of the overall sample denied the truth of the massacre, the proportion who gave this response was substantially higher within specific cohorts, in particular younger age groups and Greens voters, said Professor Markus.

The survey found 13% of those aged 18-24, and 12% of the Gen Z age group (up to age 28 in 2025) said the statement about October 7 was broadly untrue, as did 13% of current university students, a group which overlaps with the other younger age groups; 9% of Greens voters also gave the same response.