1.29 Community perception of threat

This project is designed to assess how to predict the UK public's fear of a terrorist attack. The first goal is to determine whether people with certain factors (i.e. high levels of anxiety and/or ethnocentrism) are more likely to be fearful of an attack. A second goal is to provide evidence-based recommendations for law enforcement. The recommendations for working with community members who fear a terrorist attack will be devised by GMP, the Metropolitan police and researchers jointly building on the work the police are already doing.

Further work

Professor Lara Frumkin, The Open University, Dr John Morrison, Maynooth University and Professor Andrew Silke, Cranfield University co-edited 'A Research Agenda for Terrorism Studies, which considers a range of issues faced by those researching terrorism and counter terrorism, and was published by Edward Elgar in 2023.

In the aftermath of 9/11, research output on terrorism and counterterrorism increased dramatically.  Questions arose as to whether that level of research would be maintained and if the cross-disciplinary nature of the research would continue.  Over 20 years on, the answer to both of those questions is a resounding yes. 

'A Research Agenda in Terrorism Studies' reviews some of the newer methods in the field (e.g., use of social media and databases) along with more established approaches (e.g., interviews and ethnographies).  The book addresses critical terrorism studies and the terrorists themselves as well as newer areas of research (e.g., victims and gender in terrorism studies).  Research collaborations are highlighted, particularly joint work between academics and the business sector or law enforcement.

Research in terrorism and counterterrorism has been challenging, emotive and sometimes dangerous.  Until the early 2000s, much of this research found itself on the fringes of science. Now, it produces varied outputs from multiple inter and intra-disciplinary perspectives with attention to methods, cultural and political contexts.  This book reflects on where and what the current research is addressing and concludes with predictions about the future directions of terrorism studies. 

This publication can be read via the OU library or Elgar online.