Terrorism perception and its consequences following the 7 July 2005 London bombings

Abstract

Recent work on terrorism has identified a number of individual and group level factors that might contribute to terrorism anxiety and its implication for behaviour and cognition. However, few studies have tried to combine these factors into a coherent model. In this study we examined psychological responses to terrorism threats in the immediate aftermath of the London bombings in July 2005. Four-hundred and twenty-nine general public participants completed an inventory assessing terrorism anxiety, perceived likelihood of further attacks and their behavioural and cognitive consequences. Age, sex, normative expectations, values and personal control all predicted anxiety or perceived likelihood of attack. Anxiety was a significant predictor of negative coping, workplace distraction and increased interpersonal contacts. Implications of these findings are discussed in the light of continuing terrorist threats.