Tottenham Hotspur fans support the continued use of the “Y-word” on the terraces, with a majority of both Jewish and non-Jewish supporters saying they do not wish to see it used less on matchdays.

The club published the results of a wide-ranging survey on the controversial topic on Monday, which collected data from more than 23,000 members and affiliates in August.

Almost all of them acknowledged that the Y-word can, in some contexts, be considered a racist term against Jewish people, but a third nevertheless said they “regularly” use it in a football context.

Overall, 55 per cent of Spurs fans said they were happy with the current use of the term in a football context – with 23 per cent saying they want fans to use it less, and 22 per cent preferring it was eliminated altogether.

Among Jewish respondents, the proportion of those who opposed banning or lessening the use of the chant on matchdays rose to 58 per cent, with 26 per favouring that fans stop using it and 16 per cent preferring fans to chant it less.

Two-thirds of Jewish fans said they at least “occasionally” sing chants which include “Yid”. Among them, more than half said they “regularly” use the word.

More than half of respondents disagreed that the Y-word by Spurs fans created a “lack of clarity in terms of what is now considered as antisemitic abuse” – a frequent argument employed against its use.

In a statement, the club said: “For many of our supporters, context has always been key in justifying their use of the Y-word and that pattern appears to continue in the latest research with only 12 per cent of respondents answering that they use the term outside of a footballing context.

“Supporters were given the option of choosing more than one of the answers to this question with many of those that selected ‘Other’ explaining that it should only be used in a ‘Spurs context’ and that they would favour the term ‘Jewish’ rather than using the Y-word outside of a football context.”

The term has been sung by Tottenham’s supporters for decades – initially in defiant response to rival fans' use of it as a derogatory term.

The survey asked fans whether they agreed with excerpts on the “Y-word” from a series of newspaper articles – including a JC article by Gerald Jacobs, and a Times article by David Aaronovitch.

Respondents were also quizzed on whether they feel the use of the term effectively deflects or attracts antisemitic abuse, and whether it contributes to a lack of clarity over what constitutes antisemitic abuse.

Three Spurs fans were arrested in 2014 for using "Yid" at a Europa League game during the last attempted crackdown by authorities. The Crown Prosecution Service discontinued these cases.

The issue resurfaced last season after antisemitic language was allegedly used by Chelsea and Arsenal fans during matches.

The World Jewish Congress, Community Security Trust (CST) and the Jewish Leadership Council (JLC) have all, in the past, called on the club to clamp down on fans using the word to describe themselves in match chants.

Board of Deputies president Marie van der Zyl said it was "telling" that 94 per cent of respondents acknowledged "Yid" could be considered an antisemitic term, adding that "the fact that Tottenham Hotspur refer to it as the ‘Y-word’ indicates that the authors of the survey are sensitive to its use as a term of abuse".

She said: “Tottenham Hotspur’s survey of fans into the use of the ‘Y-word’ offers mixed results... We believe that its continued use keeps this racist term in the football vernacular, where it will stay until Spurs fans stop using it. We strongly urge the club to discourage fans from it use from now on.”

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club says it has a “zero-tolerance position” regarding antisemitism but has previously insisted that fans' use of that word has never been “intended to cause offence”.

Along with the data, the club also published a number of statements from respondents.

A Jewish fan, in the 35-44 age bracket, wrote they found “the regular use of the Y-word offensive… I don’t believe most Spurs fans understand its connotations and history”.

Another fan in the 55-64 age bracket, added: “I like the tribal way that the term is changed but being a black man I would like to know whether the Jewish community is offended by its use at our matches before I’d even consider using it.”

One younger fan aged 25-34 wrote: “Until my very late teens I had no idea it had historic roots to the Jewish community or that it had been considered a racist slur.

"It simply meant Spurs to me,” while another aged under 25 admitted, “My knowledge of the meaning beyond being related to Spurs is non-existent.”

One supporter, in the 45-54 bracket, added: “I always thought the chant was positive and supportive towards the Jewish community but if this offends then I would not use it in future.”