If you answered that it was the largest Nazi concentration and extermination camp, which operated in Poland from 1940 to 1945, then congratulations, you are among a majority of Americans who have at least some rudimentary awareness of the Holocaust. (These are 25 infamous Nazi concentration camps.)
But according to a survey conducted in 2020, the number of poll respondents who couldn’t name one of the 24 major concentration camps (as listed by the Jewish Virtual Library) that operated prior to and through World War II ranges from 21% in Wisconsin to 56% in Mississippi.
In the same survey, between 47% of Wisconsinites and 69% of Arkansans said they weren’t aware that six million Jews were exterminated in the Holocaust. Furthermore, a sizable number of Americans who said they were aware of the Holocaust vastly underestimated the number of Jews who were murdered by at least two-thirds.
These Americans are also likely unaware that millions of non-Jews were also victims of the deadliest and longest-running genocide in human history, which took place from 1933, when the Dachau concentration camp in Southern Germany opened, to the end of World War II in 1945. (These horrifying images of Nazi death camps.)
“We need to understand why we aren’t doing better in educating a younger generation about the Holocaust and the lessons of the past,” said Gideon Taylor, head of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, when the survey was released.
To determine the states with the lowest Holocaust awareness, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data from 2020 U.S. Millennial and Gen Z Holocaust Knowledge and Awareness Survey conducted by Schoen Cooperman Research. States were ranked based on the percentage of surveyed adults between the ages of 18 and 39 who had definitely heard about the Holocaust; could name at least one concentration camp, death camp, or ghetto; and knew that 6 million Jews were killed by the Nazis.
Click here to see the states with the lowest Holocaust awareness
Supplemental data on the percentage of adults who have seen Holocaust denial or distortion on social media or elsewhere online and the percentage of adults who have seen Nazi symbols in their community or on social media in the past five years also came from Schoen Cooperman Research and was published by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany. Data on total population came from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2021 American Community Survey and are one-year estimates.
Among the ten most populous U.S. states (home to more than half of the country) the share of the population with low Holocaust awareness ranges from 20% in Florida to 31% in Pennsylvania. As many as 58% of people in Texas are exposed to online Holocaust denial while 67% of New York state residents have been exposed to Nazi symbols in the past five years.
50. Wisconsin
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 42%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 46% (21st lowest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 53% (16th lowest)
> Total population: 5.9 million (20th largest)
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49. Minnesota
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 37%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 46% (21st lowest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 60% (9th highest)
> Total population: 5.7 million (22nd largest)
48. Massachusetts
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 35%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 56% (6th highest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 56% (25th highest)
> Total population: 7.0 million (15th largest)
47. Maine
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 32%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 43% (9th lowest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 51% (8th lowest)
> Total population: 1.4 million (9th smallest)
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46. Nebraska
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 31%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 43% (9th lowest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 52% (14th lowest)
> Total population: 2.0 million (14th smallest)
45. Kansas
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 31%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 49% (19th highest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 53% (16th lowest)
> Total population: 2.9 million (16th smallest)
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44. Pennsylvania
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 31%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 52% (12th highest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 57% (21st highest)
> Total population: 13.0 million (5th largest)
43. Wyoming
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 29%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 48% (25th highest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 56% (25th highest)
> Total population: 578,803 (the smallest)
42. Vermont
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 29%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 43% (9th lowest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 52% (14th lowest)
> Total population: 645,570 (2nd smallest)
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41. North Dakota
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 29%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 44% (14th lowest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 45% (2nd lowest)
> Total population: 774,948 (4th smallest)
40. Montana
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 29%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 49% (19th highest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 55% (21st lowest)
> Total population: 1.1 million (8th smallest)
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39. Idaho
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 29%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 43% (9th lowest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 58% (17th highest)
> Total population: 1.9 million (13th smallest)
38. Iowa
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 29%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 51% (15th highest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 52% (14th lowest)
> Total population: 3.2 million (20th smallest)
37. Virginia
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 29%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 52% (12th highest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 57% (21st highest)
> Total population: 8.6 million (12th largest)
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36. South Dakota
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 28%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 44% (14th lowest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 63% (5th highest)
> Total population: 895,376 (5th smallest)
35. New Mexico
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 28%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 43% (9th lowest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 60% (9th highest)
> Total population: 2.1 million (15th smallest)
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34. Utah
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 28%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 49% (19th highest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 52% (14th lowest)
> Total population: 3.3 million (21st smallest)
33. Colorado
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 28%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 61% (the highest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 63% (5th highest)
> Total population: 5.8 million (21st largest)
32. New Jersey
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 28%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 54% (8th highest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 56% (25th highest)
> Total population: 9.3 million (11th largest)
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31. Oregon
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 27%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 54% (8th highest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 61% (8th highest)
> Total population: 4.2 million (24th smallest)
30. Kentucky
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 27%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 49% (19th highest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 56% (25th highest)
> Total population: 4.5 million (25th smallest)
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29. South Carolina
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 27%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 49% (19th highest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 55% (21st lowest)
> Total population: 5.2 million (23rd largest)
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28. Indiana
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 27%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 52% (12th highest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 58% (17th highest)
> Total population: 6.8 million (17th largest)
27. Michigan
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 27%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 53% (10th highest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 55% (21st lowest)
> Total population: 10.1 million (10th largest)
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26. New Hampshire
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 26%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 47% (24th lowest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 52% (14th lowest)
> Total population: 1.4 million (10th smallest)
25. Nevada
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 26%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 56% (6th highest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 70% (the highest)
> Total population: 3.1 million (19th smallest)
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24. Connecticut
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 26%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 47% (24th lowest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 58% (17th highest)
> Total population: 3.6 million (22nd smallest)
23. West Virginia
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 25%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 48% (25th highest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 59% (12th highest)
> Total population: 1.8 million (12th smallest)
22. Washington
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 25%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 58% (2nd highest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 63% (5th highest)
> Total population: 7.7 million (13th largest)
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21. North Carolina
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 25%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 38% (3rd lowest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 48% (5th lowest)
> Total population: 10.6 million (9th largest)
20. California
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 25%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 47% (24th lowest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 60% (9th highest)
> Total population: 39.2 million (the largest)
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19. Rhode Island
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 24%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 50% (16th highest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 56% (25th highest)
> Total population: 1.1 million (7th smallest)
18. Oklahoma
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 24%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 49% (19th highest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 59% (12th highest)
> Total population: 4.0 million (23rd smallest)
17. Alabama
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 24%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 45% (18th lowest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 51% (8th lowest)
> Total population: 5.0 million (24th largest)
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16. Missouri
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 24%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 45% (18th lowest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 59% (12th highest)
> Total population: 6.2 million (18th largest)
15. Tennessee
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 24%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 45% (18th lowest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 57% (21st highest)
> Total population: 7.0 million (16th largest)
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14. Ohio
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 24%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 50% (16th highest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 59% (12th highest)
> Total population: 11.8 million (7th largest)
13. Arizona
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 23%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 46% (21st lowest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 64% (3rd highest)
> Total population: 7.3 million (14th largest)
12. Illinois
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 23%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 53% (10th highest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 57% (21st highest)
> Total population: 12.7 million (6th largest)
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11. Texas
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 23%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 58% (2nd highest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 64% (3rd highest)
> Total population: 29.5 million (2nd largest)
10. Alaska
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 22%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 44% (14th lowest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 59% (12th highest)
> Total population: 732,673 (3rd smallest)
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9. Delaware
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 22%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 44% (14th lowest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 44% (the lowest)
> Total population: 1.0 million (6th smallest)
8. Maryland
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 22%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 50% (16th highest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 54% (18th lowest)
> Total population: 6.2 million (19th largest)
7. New York
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 22%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 57% (4th highest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 67% (2nd highest)
> Total population: 19.8 million (4th largest)
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6. Hawaii
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 21%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 38% (3rd lowest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 50% (6th lowest)
> Total population: 1.4 million (11th smallest)
5. Louisiana
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 21%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 40% (4th lowest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 48% (5th lowest)
> Total population: 4.6 million (25th largest)
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4. Georgia
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 21%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 44% (14th lowest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 52% (14th lowest)
> Total population: 10.8 million (8th largest)
3. Florida
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 20%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 57% (4th highest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 54% (18th lowest)
> Total population: 21.8 million (3rd largest)
2. Mississippi
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 18%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 36% (the lowest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 47% (3rd lowest)
> Total population: 2.9 million (17th smallest)
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1. Arkansas
> 18-to-39-year-old residents with Holocaust awareness: 17%
> Pop. exposed to online Holocaust denial: 45% (18th lowest)
> Pop. exposed to Nazi symbols 2016-2020: 58% (17th highest)
> Total population: 3.0 million (18th smallest)
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