Similarities and Differences between Terrorists and their Supporters: Findings from Northern Ireland

Why do only a few people radicalise when many appear to have been exposed to potential causes of radicalisation? This issue is referred to as the specificity problem and is widely recognised as one of the fundamental questions facing terrorism research. Also recognised is that meaningful answers will only be obtained through comparative research using control groups who share many of the same traits, characteristics and contexts of the terrorists, but who did not progress to involvement in terrorism. The current study was conducted in Northern Ireland and compares 17 former paramilitary members with a control group of 12 paramilitary sympathizers using a structured survey. 22 variables connected to radicalisation were examined. Significant differences were found between the two groups on four of these variables. The findings are discussed in relation to the specificity problem and the wider literature on radicalisation.