Commitment to Extremist Ideology: Using Factor Analysis to Move beyond Binary Measures of Extremism

Using data from the United States Extremist Crime Database, the study identifies four subtypes of far-right extremists: Conspiracy Theorist, Survivalist, Proud Far-Rightist, and Movement Participant. The paper further assesses which components of far-right extremist ideology are most related to criminal behavior. Findings reveal distinct beliefs associated with financial (conspiratorial, anti-government, anti-tax beliefs) as opposed to violent (xenophobic, survivalist, anti-gun control beliefs) crime. Published in Studies in Conflict and Terrorism 39: 7-8 (2016).