Public Confidence in Counterterrorism Measures and Laws: A Comparative Analysis

• In Event: Assessing Public Knowledge & Confidence in Social Control Strategies

Abstract

While terrorism continues to be a significant security threat particularly for democratic societies, countering terrorism effectively without crossing legitimate boundaries is also an important challenge for the governments. Scholarly studies suggest that governments are less likely to succeed in countering terrorism without public confidence. Although the level of public confidence in counterterrorism measures and laws has been explored by several studies, only a few studies have examined the similarities and differences between European countries and the United States regarding the level of public confidence in counterterrorism measures and laws, and the factors that have an impact on the level of confidence. This study explores the perceptions of 1,314 participants in Europe and the United States regarding their confidence in counterterrorism measures and laws. The findings of this study revealed that race, gender, political affiliation, and exposure to media are significant predictors of the level of public confidence in counterterrorism measures and laws.

Author

• Ahmet Kule, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga