Understanding Juvenile’s Radicalization in the Context of Conspiracy Beliefs: Risk and Protective Factors

Data collection for this study is nearly complete with participation of around 2,000 participants and collaboration with 17 educational institutions. First results are expected in the spring of 2025.

Misinformation and conspiracy theories are among the biggest current threats to democracy. Some people may radicalize by sympathizing with the use of violence—or by becoming willing to act violently—for their conspiracy beliefs.
Youth in particular are vulnerable to both misinformation and extremist milieus due to their full immersion in the digital world and developing identities.
This project aims to:

Explore the role of media exposure in radicalization (study 1; meta-analysis);
Provide insights into which youth are at risk of radicalization in the context of conspiracy beliefs (study 2);
Explore options for prevention by evaluating an online game intervention (study 3);
Identify (de)radicalization mechanisms (study 4; mediation study)
Assess international generalizability of risk and protective factors (study 5).