Religion and Hate Victimization among Youth: Contexts, Consequences and Adaptive Strategies

The links between religious identities and crime victimization call for criminological research, as the salience of religion is increasing in contemporary post-secular societies. In this project, we examine if and how religious affiliation functions as a risk or protective factor in regard to hate crime victimization. The possible consequences of identity-based victimization in terms of revenge and radical ideation are explored. We additionally explore the role of externally visible cues in triggering hate motivated attacks against groups defined by religion. The project aims at new insights on how religious identities and their presentation in everyday life in physical and virtual environments are linked to crime victimization as a physical experience, and as a perceived threat. Based on this analysis, we additionally develop a concise survey instrument which can be used in national and international youth victim surveys to probe religion and world view related hate crime. The project is part of the NETHATE research consortium, funded by the the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 861047.