Profiles of Individual Radicalization in the United States (PIRUS), 1948-2014 (ICPSR 36309)

Version Date: May 21, 2018

Cite this study |

Principal Investigator(s):
Michael Irving Jensen, University of Maryland

https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR36309.v1

Version V1

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Summary

These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they were received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except for the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompanying readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collection and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.

The Empirical Assessment of Domestic Radicalization (EADR) project seeks to provide practitioners, researchers, and the public with an empirical foundation for understanding the radicalization processes of United States-based extremists. Project researchers utilized a mixed-method, nested approach to explore a number of key research questions related to radicalization, including:

  • what are the demographic, background, and radicalization differences between and within the different ideological milieus?
  • are there important contextual, personal, ideological, or experiential differences between radicals who commit violent acts and those who do not?
  • is it possible to identify sufficient pathways to violent extremism?
  • are the causal mechanisms highlighted by extant theories of radicalization supported by empirical evidence?
To address these questions, EADR researchers built the largest known database on individual radicalization in the United States: Profiles of Individual Radicalization in the United States (PIRUS). The database includes 147 variables covering demographic, background, group affiliation, and ideological information for a sample of 1,473 violent and non-violent extremists who radicalized in the United States from 1948-2014. The database is not limited to a particular ideological milieu, but instead contains information on individuals who adhere(d) to far right, far left, Islamist, and single-issue ideologies

The collection includes 5 SPSS datasets and 2 SPSS syntax files:

  • PIRUS_full_dataset_ICPSR_archive.sav (n=1,473; 113 variables)
  • PIRUS_expected_maximization_version.sav (n=16,203; 27 variables)
  • PIRUS_fixed_value_imputation_version.sav (n=1,473; 27 variables)
  • PIRUS_regression_based_imputation_version.sav (n=16,203; 28 variables)
  • PIRUS_subgroup_mean_substitution_version.sav (n=1,473; 27 variables)
  • quantitative_analysis_syntax.sps
  • variable_prep_syntax.sps

Citation

Jensen, Michael Irving. Profiles of Individual Radicalization in the United States (PIRUS), 1948-2014. Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2018-05-21. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR36309.v1

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Funding

United States Department of Justice. Office of Justice Programs. National Institute of Justice (2012-ZA-BX-0005)

Subject Terms

Geographic Coverage

Smallest Geographic Unit

None

Restrictions

Access to these data is restricted. Users interested in obtaining these data must complete a Restricted Data Use Agreement, specify the reasons for the request, and obtain IRB approval or notice of exemption for their research.

Distributor(s)

Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research
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Time Period(s)

1948 -- 2014

Date of Collection

2013 -- 2016

Data Collection Notes

  1. These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they were received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except for the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompanying readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collection and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.

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Study Purpose

The study aims to address research questions about radicalization processes, differences, and existing theories thereof.

Study Design

The study uses a mixed-method, nested approach. Researchers built a database of radicalized individuals and analyzed it using comparative descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression techniques.

Sample

Random sampling techniques were used to select a sub-set of individuals for inclusion in the dataset.

Time Method

Cross-sectional

Universe

Individuals espousing Islamist, far right, far left, or single issue ideologies who have radicalized within the United States to the point of committing ideologically motivated illegal violent or non-violent acts, joining a designated terrorist organization, or associating with an extremist organization whose leader(s) has/have been indicted of an ideologically motivated violent offense.

Unit(s) of Observation

Individual

Data Type(s)

Mode of Data Collection

Description of Variables

The data files include variables covering demographics, background, group affiliation, and ideological information.

Response Rates

Not applicable

Presence of Common Scales

Not applicable

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Original Release Date

2018-05-21

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Weight

None

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Notes

  • These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they were received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except for the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompanying readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collection and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.

  • The public-use data files in this collection are available for access by the general public. Access does not require affiliation with an ICPSR member institution.

  • One or more files in this data collection have special restrictions. Restricted data files are not available for direct download from the website; click on the Restricted Data button to learn more.