Extremism Among Adolescents in Lower Saxony. Results of a School Survey of Seventh Graders

Abstract

Extremism is a growing problem in Europe. Radicalisation, the process of how people become extremists, often starts early in life. Risk and protective factors for extremism are well researched, but the question remains, to what extent does the younger generation reproduce extremist attitudes, and which factors play a role, particularly in adolescence. Building on Beelmann’s (2020) radicalisation model and metastudies, the study took into account explanatory factors. The database consists of a sample of 7,779 seventh graders from Lower Saxony, Germany, and was conducted by the Criminological Research In-stitute of Lower Saxony in 2022. This random sample was used to examine extremist attitudes and de-terminants for both Islamist and right-wing extremist attitudes. The results indicate that for Muslims in particular, the feeling of being marginalised as Muslims, authoritarianism, and lacking law-abidingness play a significant role in explaining Islamist attitudes. For right-wing attitudes, the main determinants are authoritarianism, lacking law-abidingness, and poor school grades, among others.