Radicalization Among Adolescents and Young Adults in Belgium

Study Questions: This study has explored the contribution of several individual factors towards the prediction of Radicalism Intention and Approval. Its focus is on youth, their significance quest and multiple perspectives of injustice. Also, a distinction has been made between the approval of an Islamist form of radicalization and the legitimation of various other forms of violence. Subjects and Methods: 746 young (48.5% of women, Mage = 17.27) attending schools in Belgium completed a self-report questionnaire evaluating radicalism intention, radicalism approval, justice sensitivity, the need to belong, significance quest, political interest and political engagement. Findings: The results demonstrate that radicalism approval and radicalism intention are significantly and positively correlated. Radicalism Intention was higher in boys, in people who perceived injustice from an observer perspective, in participants who reported a lower need to belong and higher political intention and engagement and in those who manifested a higher Search of Meaning. However, Radicalism Approval was more present in older participants, and in those who perceived injustice from a beneficiary perspective. Unlike the Radicalism Intention Model, political interest and commitment are not associated with the approval of radicalization. Therefore, radicalism intention and radicalism approval are not explained by the same factors. Radicalism intention seems to be driven by personal, social and political interpretations of society, whereas radicalism approval seems driven more by feelings of responsibility and empathyfor those suffering from collective injustice. Major Implications: Practical implications underline the necessity to consider and nuance youths’ interpretations of social injustice and their experienced feelings of responsibility