Fourteenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Abstract

In the era of 9/11, the reality exists that the American public is at risk of terrorist attacks. Sensing the public’s concern about terrorism, political leaders often emphasize the threat of violent attack and advance a platform of making public safety a high priority. The current study seeks to assess the extent to which the American public manifests a fear of terrorism and what solutions they favor to help to reduce the threat of terrorism. In particular, we draw on sociological, psychological, and criminological theory and utilize the following models (1) structural vulnerability, (2) cultural orientation, (3) emotional vulnerability, (4) political partisanship, and (5) anti-Muslim attitudes to predict both actions taken and avoided due to fear related to terrorism. Analyses of survey data from a national probability sample of the U.S. population (n=1,000) reveal consistent support for two models: emotional vulnerability, and anti-Muslim attitudes. Both scoring higher on depressive symptomatology and holding anti-Muslim attitudes significantly predict fear of terrorism-driven behaviors including purchasing a gun, sending children to private school, and voting for a particular candidate. Both models are also positively associated with activities avoided due to terrorism-related fear including attending public events, flying on airplanes, traveling overseas and using public transportation. Support for additional models, including structural vulnerability and cultural orientation, varies by action. Overall, this study provides the first analysis of patterns in behaviors driven by fear of terrorism among the American public.