Attitudes towards anti-terror measures: the role of trust, political orientation and civil liberties support

This article analyses Norwegian citizens' attitudes towards the use of strong prevention measures in the fight against terrorism. Norwegians stand out as being relatively supportive of such measures, despite having been relatively shielded from serious terrorism. Nevertheless, they are generally more critical towards keeping people in custody without trial. This analysis shows that trust, political orientation and civil liberties support have significant explanatory value, also when the effects of gender, age, education and occupational status are controlled for. However, trust turns out to be a complicated indicator; whereas high scores on social trust predict more sceptical attitudes, a strong belief in personal abilities and in the political system fosters attitudes that are less sceptical. The article concludes that the combination of low threat, limited previous experience and high levels of trust creates a favourable environment for preventive policies, and recommends a further exploration of these dimensions in different contexts.