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Full-Text Articles in Criminology and Criminal Justice
Is It Terrorism?: Public Perceptions, Media, And Labeling The Las Vegas Shooting, Matthew J. Dolliver, Erin M. Kearns
Is It Terrorism?: Public Perceptions, Media, And Labeling The Las Vegas Shooting, Matthew J. Dolliver, Erin M. Kearns
Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications
When a mass casualty event occurs, why do some people label it terrorism while others do not? People are more likely to consider an attack to be terrorism when the perpetrator is Muslim, yet it is unclear what other factors influence perceptions of mass violence. Using data collected from a national sample of U.S. adults shortly after the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, we examine how media consumption and social identity influence views of the attack. Media consumption and individual-level factors—Islamophobia, political ideology, and other participant demographics—influence how people view the attack and how confident people are in their assessments.
When To Take Credit For Terrorism? A Cross-National Examination Of Claims And Attributions, Erin M. Kearns
When To Take Credit For Terrorism? A Cross-National Examination Of Claims And Attributions, Erin M. Kearns
Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications
Rationalist research expects that groups claim credit for terrorism. Yet, the vast majority of attacks are not claimed. Of the unclaimed attacks, about half are attributed to a specific group. What factors impact claiming decisions? While extant literature largely treats claiming as binary—either claimed or not—the present study disaggregates claiming decisions further to also consider attacks with attributions of credit but no claim, using data from 160 countries between 1998 and 2016. Both attack-level and situational factors impact claiming decisions. Disaggregating claiming behavior shows meaningful differences. Specifically, competitive environments and suicide attacks increase claims but not attributions. Higher fatalities in …
When Data Do Not Matter: Exploring Public Perceptions Of Terrorism, Erin M. Kearns, Allison E. Betus, Anthony F. Lemieux
When Data Do Not Matter: Exploring Public Perceptions Of Terrorism, Erin M. Kearns, Allison E. Betus, Anthony F. Lemieux
Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications
Public perceptions of terrorism are out of line with reality. How can perceptions be changed? Using a 4 × 2 experimental design with a national sample of U.S. adults, we examine how source of information and details provided impact views of terrorism. Sources, details, and individual-level factors—Islamophobia, trust in media, and trust in science—impact perceived accuracy of terrorism data. Many people updated their views on terrorism after reading factual information, yet only trust in science was related with this change. In short, people can be persuaded by factual information on terrorism, but it is less clear why they change beliefs.