Hateful Sirens...Who Hears Their Song?: An Examination of Student Attitudes Toward Hate Groups and Affiliation Potential

• NCJ Number: 204395
• Journal: Journal of Social Issues Volume: 58 Issue: 2 Dated: Summer 2002 Pages: 281-301
• Author(s): Carolyn Turpin-Petrosino
• Date Published: 2002
• Length: 21 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This exploratory study examined youth attitudes toward hate groups.

Abstract

Secondary students composed 43 percent (n=244) of the study sample, and university students constituted 57 percent (n=323) of the study sample. The mean age of the secondary students was 15.7 years, and the mean age of the university students was 19.9 years. A constructed seven-item index measured two dimensions of deprivation experience: personal (parental mistreatment) and societal (lawbreaking and experience with the criminal justice system). Four items measured physical and verbal abuse. Two items measured contact with hate groups and the nature of the contact. Respondents were also asked a series of questions that examined whether their beliefs were similar to those held by the hate movement. A seven-point series of ordinal-scale statements were presented to measure the extent of respondent support for hate groups. The findings show that crime-related deprivation experiences were more predictive of hate group support than experiences of parental abuse. Word-of-mouth contacts were more associated with hate group support than the other five contact types examined. Interpersonal bonds theory, therefore, may offer an appropriate theoretical context for the further testing of hate group attraction. Although university students reported beliefs similar to those in the hate movement, they were more hesitant than the secondary students in supporting hate groups. Although research on youth susceptibility to and affiliation with hate groups is in its early stages, the evidence from this study is that under various causal theories, youth are vulnerable to the appeal of hate-group ideologies and attitudes. This article offers suggestions for how secondary public schools and colleges and universities can adopt policies and curriculum materials that will counter tendencies toward such attitudes. 3 tables and 56 references