Public Panic and Morale: Second World War Civilian Responses Re‐examined in the Light of the Current Anti‐terrorist Campaign

Terrorism and Public Opinion in Australia

“…Research conducted after World War II in both Britain and Germany found that it was the indiscriminate nature of the aerial bombing that produced the most fear within the civilian population, even though the risk of death or injury was comparatively small (Jones et al 2006). Moreover, over-energetic attempts by the authorities to counter the threat only exacerbated that fear.…”

The triviality of terrorism

“…This, in turn, makes terrorism a lesser threat to the stability and functioning of Western liberal democracies. In a 2006 study on public panic and morale in the aftermath of terrorism attacks, for instance, Edgar Jones et al (2006) found that unless terrorists are able to deliver concentrated attacks on a large scale, it is unlikely that their efforts will have a catastrophic effect on public morale. Examining inter alia the impact of the London 7/7 bombings, they pointed out that: although London, by virtue of being the seat of government and the UK's financial centre, has been the terrorist's principal focus, it ought to be the city best able to survive their attacks with its morale intact.…”

Mental health interventions for people involved in disasters: what not to do

“…Just as we find it difficult to accept that the idea of a panic prone public is just a myth, we also find it difficult to accept that, in general, people are rather more resilient than people like us – experts – think they are. Be it psychiatrists, politicians or planners, there is a long history of overestimating vulnerability and underestimating resilience stretching back many generations.…”

“…In the end, we can do well to remember what was learned by previous generations about the immediate versus longer term responses to trauma. The best immediate mental health measures turn out to be practical, whilst our more skilled psychological interventions only really come into their own later on.…”