Perceptions of Terrorism: The Impact of Religiosity

• In Event: Terrorism and Beyond

Abstract

A substantial body of literature demonstrates that individuals base their perceptions of public safety and crime on a number of factors unrelated to actual crime rates. While criminal actions are largely defined by legal code, there is no firm definition of what constitutes an act of terrorism. The distinction is important as different legal procedures apply to both categories. Our study examines the potential role religiosity may play in individuals’ process of defining terrorism, an issue the recent political discourse suggests may be quite salient. Using a sample of students from a medium sized, rural, southern university, we explore how changing an individual’s religion in vignettes impacts one’s classifying of a crime as a criminal act or a terrorist act.

Authors

• Joseph Rukus, Arkansas State University

• Matthew Costello, Arkansas State University

• Matthew DeGarmo, Arkansas State University