Experimenting with Terrorism

Session Submission Type: Complete Thematic Panel

Abstract

Why do people decide to engage in terrorism? Why are some people more willing to report potential terrorism activity to the police than others? Why are some people more inclined to believe factual information about terrorism than others? While observational studies and large-N research provide insights into these questions, the experimental method allows us to pinpoint causal mechanisms to better understand engagement in terrorism and how to prevent this violence. The papers on this panel use experimental methods to examine a range of issues related to terrorism. More specifically, these papers examine support for, and willingness to engage in, terrorism by using an augmented reality experiment, willingness to report potential terrorism to police, which is examined via conjoint experiment, and how public opinion on terrorism is differentially impacted by media coverage versus data and research.

Sub Unit

• Area V. Types of Offending / 25. Terrorism

Division of Special Interest

• Divisions of Special Interest / Division on Terrorism & Bias Crime

Individual Presentations

• Using Augmented Reality to Examine Support for and Willingness to Engage in Protest and Terrorism - Anthony Lemieux, Georgia State University; Allison Betus, Georgia State University; Erin Kearns, University of Alabama

• If You See Something, Do You Say Something?: Why People Report Potential Terrorism Activity - Erin Kearns, University of Alabama

• When Data Don’t Matter: Exploring Public Perceptions of Terrorism - Allison Betus, Georgia State University; Erin Kearns, University of Alabama; Anthony Lemieux, Georgia State University