Predictors of Direction on a Radicalization Spectrum: Far-Right versus Far-Left & Single Issue

• In Event: Poster Session

Abstract

The Profiles of Individual Radicalization in the United States (PIRUS) database collects information on individuals who have been ideologically radicalized. These individuals’ radicalizations are accounted for because of their illegal acts committed in the United States due to strong ideologically based behaviors, or these individuals are connected groups that identify as an ideological extremist or terrorism organization. Since the dataset relies on individuals to already be radicalized, the relationship between characteristics captured in the dataset and being a Far-Right, Far-Left, and Single-Issue radical. The dependent variable is Far-Right Radicalized or a combined group of Far-Left and Single Issue. Islamic Radicalized are excluded from the sample based on the idea that this radicalized group can be solely explained by religious ideologies tied to the Islamic faith. The main independent variable is ethnicity. I hypothesize that radicalized people who are White, are more likely to be Far-Right than other ethnicities caught in the data because Far-Right radicals support the idea of a superior group. Preliminary findings suggest that the PIRUS data will support this hypothesis, and more analyses will be done to identify more characteristics that can help to distinguish between these two groups of radicals.

Author

• Jocelyn Evens, University of Maryland, College Park