Holocaust Distortion in Central Europe Is Linked to Populism
The Institute for Research in Social Communication of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS) participated in an international research project conducted between 2024 and 2026, which demonstrated that Holocaust distortion in Central Europe is linked to populist beliefs. The study, carried out in six countries, shows that historical distortions do not remain confined to extremist fringes of society but also penetrate public attitudes, political discourse, and educational environments.
The project, titled The Role of Holocaust Distortion in Populist Politics: Research in Central and Eastern Europe, was led by Michał Bilewicz and his team from the University of Warsaw, in cooperation with the Institute for Research in Social Communication of the Slovak Academy of Sciences and the research team from Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) in Budapest. Funded by an IHRA grant, the research was conducted through a survey of a representative sample of 9,157 respondents from Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Germany. Qualitative interviews with teachers in Slovakia, Poland, and Hungary complemented it.
The results showed that populist attitudes were the strongest and most consistent predictor of Holocaust distortion across all countries studied, surpassing factors such as age, gender, education, and left-right political orientation. According to the findings, nearly four in ten respondents compared Israel’s policies toward Palestinians to Nazi crimes. In contrast, a significant proportion of respondents in Poland (46%) and Hungary (38%) believed that their own nation had suffered more than Jews during World War II. Respondents also systematically overestimated the number of fellow citizens who had saved Jews, with the highest estimates recorded in Poland (59%) and Slovakia (54%). Link to the research report.
“People who support populist narratives that divide society into ‘ordinary people’ and ‘corrupt elites,’ and who distrust experts, were significantly more likely to endorse Holocaust inversion, narratives of competitive victimhood, and morally selective interpretations of national history,” said Barbara Lášticová from the Institute for Research in Social Communication of the Slovak Academy of Sciences.
Qualitative interviews with educators further confirmed that these political dynamics also affect schools. Teachers, particularly in Poland and Hungary, described social pressure, institutional restrictions, and self-censorship when teaching controversial aspects of Holocaust history.
According to the study’s authors, understanding the psychological and political roots of this phenomenon is crucial for developing effective educational strategies, protecting evidence-based public discourse, and combating contemporary antisemitism in Europe.
Edited by: Jozef Bednár
Photo: canva.com