Date of Award

Spring 2025

Language

English

Embargo Period

4-27-2025

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

College/School/Department

Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security

Program

Emergency Management and Homeland Security

First Advisor

Stephen Coulthart

Committee Members

Sam Jackson, Michael Young

Keywords

Extremism, Political Violence, Risk Perception, Partisanship, Social Identity Theory

Subject Categories

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Abstract

Acts of violent extremism and support for political violence have increased in the United States over the past decade. Previous studies have primarily focused on the differences in risk perception between White Supremacists and Islamic Extremists/Jihadists, neglecting other ideological movements. This study utilizes data from the fifth wave of the Chapman Survey of American Fears and employs ordinal logistic regression to compare the fear of seven different extremist groups and movements: Islamic Extremists/Jihadists, the Militia/Patriot Movement, White Supremacists, Extreme Environmentalists, Extreme Animal Rightists, Anti-Immigration Groups, and ANTIFA. The findings reveal notable differences across political parties (Democrats, Republicans, and Independents) and ideologies (conservatives, liberals, and moderates). The findings suggest that political ideology plays a more significant role in shaping the fear of various extremist groups than party membership. These results support social identity theory and the ideological conflict hypothesis, highlighting the essential role that political ideology and party affiliation play in identity formation. This study reveals the nuanced relationship between political ideology, party affiliation, and the perception of extremism.

License

This work is licensed under the University at Albany Standard Author Agreement.

Download

Share

COinS