The Impact of Persistent Terrorism on Political Tolerance: Israel, 1980 to 2011

Abstract

How do persistent terrorist attacks influence political tolerance, a willingness to extend basic liberties to one's enemies? Studies in the U.S. and elsewhere have produced a number of valuable insights into how citizens respond to singular, massive attacks like 9/11. But they are less useful for evaluating how chronic and persistent terrorist attacks erode support for democratic values over the long haul. Our study focuses on political tolerance levels in Israel across a turbulent 30-year period, from 1980 to 2011, which allows us to distinguish the short-term impact of hundreds of terrorist attacks from the long-term influence of democratic longevity on political tolerance. We find that the corrosive influence of terrorism on political tolerance is much more powerful among Israelis who identify with the Right, who have also become much more sensitive to terrorism over time. We discuss the implications of our findings for other democracies under threat from terrorism.

“I Don't Like You Any More”: Facebook Unfriending by Israelis During the Israel-Gaza Conflict of 2014

“…All of these variables were measured using the common measurements in Israel. In addition, past work has suggested that right‐wingers have a stronger tendency toward homophily (Garrett et al, ) and that political tolerance declines during armed conflict (Peffley, Hutchison, & Shamir, forthcoming). Therefore, we also included the following variables in our analyses:…”

Do Voluntary Associations Show Their Bright or Dark Side Under Adverse Societal Shocks? Evidence From 9/11

“…As such, "the occurrence of new environmental cues" has the potential to induce shifts in individuals' (and groups') values and attitudes over time (Bardi and Goodwin, 2011, 278; see also Peffley et al, 2015). Importantly, these individual-level changes can easily reverberate into the relation between association memberships and individuals' attitudes even when the 'same' individuals remain embedded in the 'same' association.…”

Reactions to Terror Attacks: A Heuristic Model

“…It is not easy to imagine a more fear-inspiring terror than year-afteryear suicide bombings and rocket attacks. Peffley, Hutchison, and Shamir's (2015) study of political tolerance is thus unique, tracking levels of political tolerance in the Israeli public, over a three decade period, from 1980 to 2012, in the face of repeated and sustained terror attacks (Peffley, Hutchison, & Shamir, 2015; Figure 2).…”