Replication Data for: Politician Hate Speech and Domestic Terrorism

Does hate speech – rhetoric that targets, vilifies or is intended to intimidate minorities and other groups in society – fuel domestic terrorism? This question is, unfortunately, relevant given the convergence of the use of hate speech by political figures and domestic terrorist incidents in a variety of countries, including the United States. In this study I theorize that hate speech by politicians deepens political polarization and that this, in turn, produces conditions under which domestic terrorism increases. I test this proposition using terrorism and hate speech data for 135 to 163 countries for the period 2000 to 2017. I produce two findings. First, hate speech by political figures boosts domestic terrorism. Second, the impact of political hate speech on domestic terrorism is mediated through increased political polarization.

仇恨言论（hate speech）——即以社会少数群体及其他群体为目标、实施诋毁或意图进行恐吓的言论——是否会助长国内恐怖主义？令人遗憾的是，鉴于包括美国在内的诸多国家均出现政治人物使用仇恨言论与国内恐怖主义事件交织并存的现象，这一问题具备现实相关性。本研究提出理论假说：政治人物发布的仇恨言论会加剧政治极化，而这一过程又将为国内恐怖主义的滋生创造条件。本研究采用2000年至2017年间覆盖135至163个国家的恐怖主义与仇恨言论数据，对上述假说展开实证检验。本研究得到两项核心结论：其一，政治人物的仇恨言论会显著助推国内恐怖主义活动；其二，政治仇恨言论对国内恐怖主义的影响，是通过加剧政治极化这一中介传导路径实现的。