Cyber Terrorism: Its Effects on Psychological Well Being, Public Confidence and Political Attitudes

Abstract

Does exposure to lethal and non-lethal cyberterrorism affect psychological well-being, public confidence and political attitudes? By what mechanisms do they do so? While cyberterrorism most often raises concerns about national security, its effects on individuals’ psyche and cognition are overlooked. To address these questions we carried out three studies between 2013 and 2016 (n = 1124, 909 and 592). Utilizing experimental manipulations (video clips) subjects were exposed to simulated lethal and non-lethal cyberterrorism. Our findings demonstrate a stress-based ‘cyber terrorism effect’. Exposure to cyberterrorism is not benign and shares many traits with conventional terrorism: stress, anxiety, insecurity, a preference for security over liberty, a reevaluation of confidence in public institutions, a heightened perception of risk and support for forceful government policies. In the cyber realm, this translates into support for such policies as Internet surveillance, government regulation of the Internet and a forceful military response to cyberterrorism (including conventional, kinetic retaliation). These attitudes may impinge upon the tolerance and confidence necessary for a vibrant civil society. This effect is associated with non-lethal cyberterrorism that causes economic loss as well as with cyberterrorism that causes death and injury.

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