Kelly Welch
Associate Professor, Villanova University
Key Findings
- Individuals who typified terrorists as Middle Easterners were more likely to endorse policies aimed at reducing terror and punishing terrorists, and this relation remained significant even after taking into account a variety of factors related to individuals’ characteristics.
- Not only do the effects of minority threat extend beyond the racial and ethnic groups previously found to be stereotyped as law violators to others whose minority status is not as clearly identified, but they also operate beyond the criminal justice institutions that research suggests are influenced by them.
- The common association of those perceived to be Arabs, Muslims, Middle Easterners, and others with terrorism can spur public support for policy initiatives above and beyond the effects of prejudice and terror salience.
Description
In the article, “Middle East Terrorist Stereotypes and Anti-Terror Policy Support: The Effect of Perceived Minority Threat,” Kelly Welch explores whether individuals who characterize terrorists as Middle Easterners are more likely to support punitive policies aimed at reducing terror and punishing suspected terrorists than those who do not hold such stereotypes. The study surveyed about 400 U.S. adults from November 2006 to January 2007, asking questions via telephone to gauge stereotypes and test for an impact of their biases on stringent anti-terror prevention and punishment policies. Respondents were primarily White, their average age was 49, and they were almost evenly divided between males and females. Respondents who typified terrorists as Middle Eastern were more likely to support punitive anti-terror techniques such as the war on terror policies passed after 9/11, many of which disproportionately target minorities and reduce human rights. The relation remained statistically significant even after controlling for the effects of various traits, including gender, age, education, race, ethnicity, Middle Eastern descent, and regional residence, as well as characteristics such as conservatism, prejudice against Middle Easterners, and whether terrorism was salient in respondents’ lives. The findings suggest that not only do the effects of minority threat extend beyond the racial and ethnic groups previously found to be stereotyped as law violators to others whose minority status is not as distinctly delineated, but that they also operate beyond the criminal justice institutions that research has shown are influenced by them. The common association of those perceived to be Arabs, Muslims, Middle Easterners, and others with terrorism has the capacity to promote public support for certain policy initiatives above and beyond the effects of prejudice and terror salience. A multi-pronged policy response that addresses stereotypes and the saliency of terrorism may help reduce negative public responses such as those identified in this study.