Public perception of terrorism attacks
A conjoint experiment
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3918065 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jaroslaw Kantorowicz (0000-0002-1186-5427, Leiden University, corresponding author), Elena Kantorowicz-Reznichenko (0000-0001-8128-7290, Erasmus University Rotterdam), Gerdien De Vries (0000-0002-9486-7347, Delft University of Technology) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 62 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 310-327 |
| Publication date | 2025-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Peace Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-3433 • E-ISSN: 1460-3578 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/00223433231200922 |
| OpenAlex | W4388535247 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 9 |
| References cited | 57 |
In democratic societies, governments cannot act in isolation from public opinion. This is especially true regarding terrorism, where public perception is the instrument targeted by terrorists to achieve their political goals. Nevertheless, governments must also be able to resist public pressure and preserve individual rights. All this suggests that researching public perception of terrorist attacks is crucial. We make an important contribution in this direction by measuring the importance the public assigns to various attributes of terrorist attacks. Using novel methodology (conjoint experiment) and survey data from the UK and The Netherlands (N = 6,315), we find that people are concerned with attacks by immigrants (in the Netherlands), and by individuals acting as part of a terror cell, and with jihadist motivation. Furthermore, past experience with specific terrorist tactics drive preference to address such attacks more than others. In both countries people strongly focus on the severity of attacks, and under-weigh probabilities. The terror attack in the Netherlands in 2019 provided an opportunity to examine perception right after an actual attack. Also there we have found that people's concerns are driven by experience with specific attacks. A better understanding of terrorism perception can inform policymakers about the gap between optimal strategies to combat terrorism and the expectations of the public
Computer security · Conjoint analysis · Criminology · Democracy · Economics · Perception · Poison control · Political science · Politics · Preference · Public opinion · Public relations · Terrorism · Computer Science · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Law · Medicine · Psychology · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Psychology · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence
Public Perceptions of Wartime Atrocities
Biased Social Media Debates About Terrorism? A Content Analysis of Journalistic Coverage of and Audience Reactions to Terrorist Attacks on YouTube
When enough is enough
How do citizens define and value the rule of law? A conjoint experiment in Germany and Poland
The Impact of Perceived Perspective‐Taking on Stigma Reduction Against an Ex‐Terrorist
How does the public define interpersonal violence? A conjoint experiment
The Impact of Terrorism on Democratic Support in Africa
Coping with ongoing terror threats
Victims of affected communities’ experiences of a legal education plus trauma-informed therapy compared to a media orientation intervention to improve reintegration of former Boko Haram members in Nigeria
Stereotypes
Validating vignette and conjoint survey experiments against real-world behavior
Intergroup Threat and Outgroup Attitudes
Understanding Lone Wolf Terrorism
The Political Economy of Terrorism
Effects of Fear and Anger on Perceived Risks of Terrorism
Prejudice towards Muslims in The Netherlands
Improving Intergroup Relations
Terrorism, Security, and the Threat of Counterterrorism
The Enigma of Lone Wolf Terrorism
Counterterrorism Effectiveness to Jihadists in Western Europe and the United States
Defeated by Popular Demand
When Data Do Not Matter
Deadlier in the U.S.? On Lone Wolves, Terrorist Groups, and Attack Lethality
Integrated Threat Theory and Acceptance of Immigrant Assimilation
Who is a Terrorist? Ethnicity, Group Affiliation, and Understandings of Political Violence
Dreaded Risks and the Control of Biological Weapons
The Terrorism Delusion
Civil Liberties vs. Security
Americans respond politically to 9/11
The consequences of terrorism on migration attitudes across Europe
Terrorist attacks and Europeans’ attitudes towards immigrants
In‐group solidarity or out‐group hostility in response to terrorism in France? Evidence from a regression discontinuity design
Wait and See? Public Opinion Dynamics after Terrorist Attacks
Do Terrorists Get the Attention They Want
Not in My Back Yard
Death Goes to the Polls
Reactions to Terror Attacks
Measuring Subgroup Preferences in Conjoint Experiments
Causal Inference in Conjoint Analysis
Terrorism abroad and migration policies at home
On Terrorism and Electoral Outcomes
Funerals and Elections
Politics and the Suboptimal Provision of Counterterror
Personal Proximity and Reactions to Terrorism
Fear without Prejudice in the Shadow of Jihadist Threat
How the Public Defines Terrorism
Threat, Anxiety, and Support of Antiterrorism Policies
The Hidden American Immigration Consensus
Priorities for Preventive Action
Risk as feelings
Terror and elections
Six Rather Unusual Propositions about Terrorism
The Politics of Targeted and Untargeted Counterterrorist Regulations
Are Voters Sensitive to Terrorism? Direct Evidence from the Israeli Electorate
Prejudice toward Immigrants to Spain and Israel
Terrorist Events and Attitudes toward Immigrants
| Unique citing works | 9 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 4,5 |
| Citation span | 2024 - 2026 (3) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 8 |