Using data from a large, national survey of online Australians, we examined the presence of risk and protective factors for cognitive and behavioural radicalisation among individuals who participated in an anti-authority protest since early 2020. Our results show that antiauthority protesters exhibited more risk factors and fewer protective factors for cognitive and behavioural radicalisation than other respondents, including people who had participated in protests in support of other issues or movements. They were also more likely to justify violence in support of their cause and willing to support or participate in violent or unlawful behaviour on behalf of their group. These findings show that people who participated in anti-authority protests were more vulnerable to radicalisation when compared with other protesters and non-protesters. Our results have implications for responding to protest movements that promote anti-government sentiment, that spread disinformation and that are exploited by malicious actors.
Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Abstract
- Executive summary
- How common was participation in anti-authority protest?
- Were anti-authority protesters more vulnerable to radicalisation?
- Were there differences between first-time anti-authority protesters and those with prior protest experience?
- What are the implications for responding to anti-authority protest and the risk of mobilisation to violence?
- Introduction
- Method
- Recruitment, sampling and weighting
- Sample characteristics
- Measuring protest participation
- Risk and protective factors for radicalisation
- Analysis
- Limitations
- Anti-authority protest
- Protest participation
- Social and political beliefs
- Risk and protective factors for radicalisation
- Sociodemographic factors
- Psychological or personality factors
- Experiential factors
- Attitudinal factors
- Criminogenic factors
- Total number of risk and protective factors
- Radicalised attitudes and intention use violence
- Discussion
- Vulnerability to radicalisation
- Differences between first-time anti-authority protesters and those with protest experience
- Implications for responding to anti-authority protest and the risk of mobilisation to violence
- References