Projects
My research focuses on public opinion formation during and after episodes of political violence, including interstate wars, civil wars, and terrorist attacks. Specifically, I explore cognitive, affective, and discursive ways violence affects inter-group and political attitudes in Western and non-Western countries. To do so, I have conducted various empirical studies using diverse data sources and methods. The studies broadly fall within three research clusters: research on (1) the consequences of political violence on people’s attitudes, (2), post-conflict reintegration and reconciliation, and (3) conflict news coverage.
HOW IS “TERRORISM” CHANGING US?
Terrorism, by its very nature, is intended to change us and the societies we live in. But how is terrorism changing us? Are we more likely to vote for authoritarian or populist politicians in times of terror? Are we more willing to compromise some of our civil liberties and democratic values to feel more safe and secure after an attack? And what or who are we talking about when we talk about “terrorism”? Across different studies, I review the empirical evidence for such attitudinal changes in the wake of terrorism, discuss several mechanisms through which and conditions under which terrorism affects social cohesion, and compare the impact of “terrorist” violence with other existentially threatening incidents.
Related publications:
Related working papers:
“Terrorism is What (the United) States Make(s) of It” [Conceptual paper].
“Threat Ownership Theory” [Survey experiment].
“How Ideology Shapes Public Responses to Political Violence” [Survey experiment].
“Does Islamist Terrorism Still Affect Political Attitudes?” [Meta-Analysis and Natural Experiments].
Related presentation: “How the Idea of Terrorism Is Changing Us”.
HOW TO MAKE PEACE WITH YOUR ENEMIES?
Civilians play a crucial role in building sustainable peace. But what shapes civilian attitudes towards peace and reconciliation in (post-)conflict settings? For example, how willing are civilians to welcome back former fighters? Do truth commissions retraumatize or heal nations? And can salient events reinvigorate past conflict narratives, identities, and feelings? Using unique cross-sectional and experimental data, I test several theoretically informed mechanisms shaping public attitudes towards peace provisions, including the reintegration of former fighters and transitional justice mechanisms. The outcomes of this research line are relevant for scholars studying post-conflict peacebuilding and reconciliation as well as for policymakers who must make choices about how to design and ultimately communicate peace programs to their citizens.
Related publications:
Related working papers:
“How Intergroup Bias Shapes Public Support for Peace Provisions” [Priming experiment in Azerbaijan].
“How Conflict Exposure and PTSD Shape Public Support for Truth Commissions” [Comparative Survey in Guatemala, Nepal, and Northern Ireland].
“Emphasizing safety and remorse reduces resistance to the repatriation of ISIS collaborators and children” [Comparative Survey Experiment in Belgium, Norway, and the UK].
“Attitudes on Political Status for Collaborators” [Conjoint experiment in Ukraine]
HOW DO NEWS MEDIA COVER POLITICAL VIOLENCE?
News media play a crucial role in keeping the public informed. Especially in times of conflict, media narratives may shape how citizens perceive the conflict and influence how policy-makers decide to deal with it. Before scrutinizing any media effect, one should carefully examine media content. This research line aims to fulfill this goal through a content analysis of different conflicts (e.g., the Syrian war and Boko Haram insurgency). Second, despite considerable scholarly attention to the coverage of conflicts in general and terrorist attacks in particular, surprisingly few studies have questioned some of the basic assumptions underlying the dominant analytical frameworks to study conflict coverage. By comparing journalistic coverage of the Boko Haram insurgency in a Southern-based/Christian-affiliated and Northern-based/Muslim-affiliated Nigerian newspaper, this research line also advances empirical and theoretical knowledge on the coverage of religious-based violence with a particular focus on the role of the religious demography of a country.
Related publications:
Related book chapters: Entry on “Terrorism” in the Encyclopaedia of Political Communication (forthcoming in 2024)