Punitiveness Toward Terrorists: Terrorist Act Type and Harmfulness, Terrorist Ethnicity and Gender, and Participants’ Authoritarian Tendency

This study examines the relationships between public punitiveness toward terrorists and factors such as terrorist act type, harmfulness, terrorist ethnicity, and gender, and participant’s authoritarian tendencies. An online survey with 679 Israeli Jewish and Arab participants manipulated terrorist act type, harmfulness, gender, and ethnicity. Participants rated crime seriousness, punishment severity, imprisonment length (IL), support for capital punishment (CP), and answered questions about authoritarianism. Findings show terrorist ethnicity significantly impacts punitiveness, which was higher in stabbing, car-ramming, and shooting scenarios than in arson or non-fatal cases. IL and support for CP were predicted by distinct factors, revealing they reflect different aspects of punitiveness. The study emphasizes the complex interplay of ethnicity, act type, harm, and personal predispositions in shaping punitiveness toward terrorists.