Cross-cultural differences in radicalism

Incidences of radicalism and terrorism have gained momentum in most parts of the world. However, while cultural differences in the occurrence of terrorism have been studied, there is a lack of such research on radicalism. We therefore investigated cross-cultural differences in people's readiness to engage in illegal and violent political action. We hypothesized that people in the United States would show stronger radicalism intentions than people from other Western and non-Western countries. Moreover, we hypothesized that this pattern would be mediated by power distance. To test this, we conducted three studies. The results supported our hypotheses: Compared to Indian (Study 1), German (Study 2), and British (Study 3) participants, US participants held a greater readiness to engage in illegal and violent political action, both on behalf of their groups' and on behalf of their own political and legal rights. Moreover, high levels of power distance translated to this increased radicalism. Illuminating cross-cultural differences in radicalism, this work adds to the understanding of how radical political developments may grow among certain individuals more than others.