Understanding extremism in Scotland: public perceptions and experiences

Appendix E: Demographic results

Characteristics: Gender

Statistical results: Male respondents (81%) were more likely to be confident in their understanding of the term 'extremism' than females (67%).

Male respondents (71%) were more likely to agree you can be an extremist without supporting the use of physical violence than female respondents (65%).

For seven statements within the question – Do you consider any of the following to represent extremism? – analysis of gender showed that males were more likely to regard these actions as 'never' or 'always' extremism than females. That is, they were more likely to select an exclusionary option at either end of the opinion scale than females, who were more likely to select conditional options. Females also had significantly higher instances of 'don't know' responses to the statements than males.

Males (21%) were more likely to associate sectarianism with extremism than females (12%). Males were also more likely to associate politics with extremism (18%) than females (15%). Meanwhile, females were more likely to associate homophobia with extremism (12%) than males (7%).

Females (49%) were more likely to believe extremism is a problem in their local area than males (42%).

Female respondents (53%) were more likely to think there had been an increase in the threat of extremism in Scotland in the last five years than male respondents (40%).

Male respondents (33%) were more likely to select that in the next five years the threat from extremism in Scotland will stay the same than female respondents (29%).

Males appeared more favourable towards the efforts of the Scottish Government to tackle extremism than females, with 42% of males agreeing that the Scottish Government are doing enough to tackle extremism in Scotland compared with 37% of females.

Males (39%) were more likely to think enough is being done to tackle extremism by local authorities than females (33%).

Qualitative observations: Within the focus groups and interviews females displayed more desire for context and detail.

Females were more forthcoming to say when they did not know about a topic or that they felt unable to form an opinion.

All participants, but more so female participants, desired context to make an assessment of whether they thought behaviours or views constituted extremism.

Females appeared more open to hearing about how public bodies were tackling extremism before forming an opinion on their efforts.

Characteristics: Age group

Statistical results: A third of those in the youngest age group (31% of those aged 16-34) were not confident in their understanding of the term 'extremism', which was a significantly higher proportion than all other age groups (22% of those aged 35-44, 20% of those aged 45-54, 18% of those aged 55-64, and 18% of those aged over 65 years).

Those aged 16-34 (21%) were more likely to disagree that 'you can be an extremist without being physically violent' than 35-44 (14%) and 45-54 year olds (14%).

Respondents aged over 65 years (24%) were more likely to disagree with this statement than 35-44 (14%) and 45-54 year olds (14%).

Those aged over 65 were the only age group with higher instances of associating racism with extremism (47%), than associating terrorism with extremism (39%). Only 8% of those aged 16-34 listed sectarianism as associated with extremism, compared with 26% of those aged 55-64.

Younger people aged 16-34 (59%), were more likely to believe extremism is a problem in their local area than any other age group (51% of those aged 35-44, 38% of those aged 45-54, 43% of those aged 55-64, and 32% of those aged 65 and over).

Respondents aged over 65 (57%) were more likely to think there had been an increase in the threat of extremism in Scotland in the last five years than younger age groups (43% of those aged 16-34, 47% of those aged 35-44, 36% of those aged 45-54, and 48% of those aged 55-64.

Respondents aged over 65 (19%) were more likely to think the threat level will decrease in the next five years than those aged 16-34 (12%), those aged 35-44 (5%), those aged 45-54 (9%), and those aged 55-64 (6%). Respondents aged over 65 years (51%) were also more likely to think the threat will increase than those aged 16-34 (43%), 35-44 (41%), and 45-54 (41%). Therefore, there were stronger opinions from the older age group compared with the younger age groups.

The oldest age group was less favourable towards the efforts of the Scottish Government to tackle extremism than younger groups, with respondents aged over 65 years more likely to disagree that enough is being done to tackle extremism by the Scottish Government in Scotland compared with all other age groups (52% compared with 44% of those aged 16-34, 44% of those aged 35-44, 41% of those aged 45-54, and 46% of those aged 55-64).

The oldest age group, over 65 years (42%) were more likely to agree local authorities are doing enough to tackle extremism than those aged 35-64 (33% of those aged 35-44, 30% of those aged 45-54, and 33% of those aged 55-64).

Qualitative observations: Participants over 40 years often gave examples of the threat of terrorism from Northern Irish paramilitary groups.

Characteristics: Location

Statistical results: Respondents from South Scotland (81%) parliamentary region were more likely to be confident in their understanding of the term 'extremism' than respondents from Glasgow (69%) and North East Scotland (71%).

Respondents from South Scotland (27%) parliamentary region were more likely to disagree that you can be extremist without being physically violent than respondents from the Highlands and Islands (15%), respondents from Mid Scotland and Fife (16%), respondents from North East Scotland (17%), and respondents from Glasgow (13%).

People in Glasgow (58%) parliamentary region were more likely to identify extremism as a problem in their local area than any other parliamentary regions (36% of those in the Highlands and Islands, 41% of those in North East Scotland, 43% of those in Mid Scotland and Fife, 43% of those in South Scotland, 45% of those in Lothian, 46% of those in West Scotland, and 48% of those in Central Scotland).

People in the Highlands and Islands parliamentary region had a different perception of extremism in their local area, with 55% of people in this parliamentary region selecting extremism as no problem at all than in other parliamentary regions (45% of those in Lothian, 29% of those in Glasgow, 43% of those in West Scotland and 40% of those in Central Scotland).

Those living in Mid Scotland and Fife (10%), Lothian (13%), West Scotland (10%), and Central Scotland (11%) parliamentary regions were more likely to think the threat of extremism in Scotland had decreased in the last five years than respondents from North East Scotland (5%).

Respondents living in the Highlands and Islands (13%), Mid Scotland and Fife (12%), Lothian (13%), South Scotland (15%), and Central Scotland (12%) parliamentary regions were all more likely to think the threat will decrease in the next five years than respondents from Glasgow (7%).

Respondents living in the South Scotland parliamentary region (42%) were more likely than both Highlands and Islands (29%) and Glasgow (32%) to agree that enough is being done to tackle extremism by local authorities in Scotland.

Qualitative observations: Participants perceived that more populated, urban areas were more threatened by extremism than more remote areas.

Participants displayed concern about intra-Christian sectarianism, and saw this as more prevalent in the Central Belt than other parts of Scotland.

Characteristics: Education levels

Statistical results: Respondents with Higher Education (84%) qualifications were more likely to be confident in their understanding of the term 'extremism' than respondents with lower levels of education (60% of those with one to four Standard Grades, 71% of those with five or more Standard Grades, and 69% of those with two or more Advanced Highers).

Respondents with Higher Education qualifications (75%) were more likely to agree that you can be an extremist without supporting the use of physical violence than respondents with lower levels of education (57% of those with one to four Standard Grades, 70% of those with five or more Standard Grades, and 64% of those with two or more Advanced Highers).

Respondents with Higher Education qualifications (81%) were more likely to agree that you can be an extremist without using physical violence than respondents with lower education levels (64% of those with one to four Standard Grades, 73% of those with five or more Standard Grades, and 71% or those with two or more Advanced Highers).

Characteristics: Ethnicity

Statistical results: The most common association among BAME respondents was racism (31%).

BAME respondents (57%) were more likely to perceive extremism as a problem in their local area than white respondents (45%).

White respondents (47%) were more likely to think the threat of extremism in Scotland had increased in the last five years than BAME respondents (36%).

BAME respondents were more favourable towards the Scottish Government's efforts to tackle extremism than white respondents, with 49% of BAME respondents agreeing the Scottish Government are doing enough to tackle extremism in Scotland compared with 39% of white respondents.

Characteristics: Religion

Statistical results: Respondents who did not identify with a religion (54%) were more likely than those who did to associate terrorism with extremism (42%). Respondents who did not identify with a religion (30%) were more likely to associate violence with extremism than people who identified with a religion (26%).

Respondents who identified as belonging to a religion (49%) were more likely to think the threat from extremism had increased in the last five years than respondents who did not identify as belonging to a religion (44%).

Respondents who identified as belonging to a religion (48%) were more likely to think the threat of extremism will increase in Scotland in the next five years than those who did not identify as belonging to a religion (42%).

Characteristics: Income

Statistical results: People earning between £20,000 to £39,999 (77%) and £40,000 or more (79%) were more likely to identify extremism as a problem in Scotland than those who earn under £20,000 (71%).

Those with a household income between £20,000-£39,999 (48%) were more likely to think the threat of extremism in Scotland will increase in the next five years than those with a household income below £20,000 (40%).