Measuring Holocaust knowledge and its impact: A Canadian case study

This article examines the responses of some 1,500 canadians to a public opinion survey on knowledge of the holocaust,awareness of genocide,and attitudes towards discrimination and diversity. based on one of the most detailed surveys conducted to date on holocaust knowledge,the study found strong correlations between greater reported holocaust knowledge and concern over genocide,as well as greater recognition of anti-semitism as a societal problem. greater reported holocaust knowledge did not,however,correlate consistently with greater openness towards selected dimensions of diversity. this counterintuitive phenomenon can likely be attributed to what respondents have learned about diversity and the limits of the effect of holocaust education in this regard. hence,further research is required on the relationship between the two. finally,going forward,a case is made for a global assessment of levels of holocaust knowledge. © 2010 unesco ibe.