Terrorism often leads to stigmatization of groups perceived as 'out-groups'. This study investigates two out-group theories regarding attitudes towards counterterrorism policies. We conducted a survey experiment among Norwegian citizens designed to test the effect of group treatments on their attitudes towards wiretapping.
Research Design:
- Randomized survey experiment with different group treatments presented.
- Measurement of participants' attitudes towards police wiretapping.
- Assessment of willingness to grant leeway to specific groups.
Key Findings:
- Group treatments significantly influenced opinions on wiretapping.
- The hypothesis that terrorism fear leads to backlash against all Muslims is rejected.
- Norwegian citizens distinguish between radical Muslim and general Muslim populations when assessing security measures.
- They also differentiate extreme right-wing groups, showing nuanced policy preferences.
Why It Matters:
Our results suggest citizens are capable of making fine-grained distinctions between different groups based on perceived threat. This challenges simplistic assumptions linking terrorism fears to generalized prejudice against entire religious or ideological communities.
