Study links extremism to local expressions of anti-Muslim prejudice
Sociologists and a statistician examined Internet search data provided by Google. Their findings suggest that "violent extremism results from the failure of ethnic integration."
A new study takes a novel approach to studying the rise of violent extremism. The findings suggest that it may be connected to ethnic, racial, or religious discrimination.
The study, published in Science Advances, finds an association between local forms of anti-Muslim hate and susceptibility of Muslims to joining extremist groups.
Sociologists at Duke University and a statistician from the University of California, Berkeley, examined Internet search data provided by Google in 3,099 counties across the U.S. Specifically, the researchers looked at average monthly search data to see if people in the same geographical areas searched for phrases such as “Muslims are violent” and “how to join ISIS.”
