Fear of Religious Hate Crime Victimization and the Residual Effects of Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.

The article examines fear of religion-based hate crime victimization among U.S. adults, focusing on Jewish and Muslim populations using data from the 2019 Experiences with Religious Discrimination Study (ERDS). It finds that Jewish and Muslim adults report significantly greater fear of future religious victimization than Christian adults, a difference only partially explained by their higher rates of past victimization, knowledge of others victimized, and greater religious visibility. The residual fear is attributed to the collective memory of historical and ongoing anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, as well as cultural factors including demographic shifts and political rhetoric, particularly following the 2016 U.S. election. These findings highlight the role of both direct experiences and broader social-historical contexts in shaping fear among religious minorities, with implications for research and policy addressing religious hate crimes and their impacts.