Journal of Forensic Psychology

Abstract

A Comparison of Public Support for Moderate and Extreme Terrorism

Colleen Ann Norman

The purpose of this paper is to 'Compare Public Support for Moderate Terrorism and Extreme Terrorism' in high terror active nations (India, Iraq, Nigeria); medium terror active nations (China, United Kingdom, United States); and low terror active nations (Australia, Canada, South Korea); selected from the Global Terrorism Index (2014); and to explore the effects of greater levels of threat (because of increased terror activity), on support by the public. To assess the reliability and validity of a new survey instrument in measuring support for terrorism and to evaluate a series of exploratory questions of added value. The voids highlighted in this paper validate the need for an international legal definition of terrorism, which has eschewed researchers, thus creating the potential for widespread abuse and avoidance of existing terrorism laws. How the media frames a terrorist event plays a significant role in the publics’ perception of terrorist organizations and the publics’ willingness to support them. It was found that a high percentage of the public are incognizant of which organizations are terrorist organizations; how their donations are being utilized, and persons are often unaware of their role within a terrorist organization. The findings indicated that overall, respondents were least likely to support extremism. Men were more concerned than women about increased terror activity and anti-abortion rights. Women from high terror active nations were least likely to respond to the survey. This research sets the framework for further investigation into moderate and extreme terrorism and exposes the challenges faced by researchers in isolating factors that contribute to public support for terrorism.