Radicalization is generally understood as a process characterized by a complex interplay of individual, social, and societal factors that can lead to extremism. Since the early stages of radicalization can already be observed in youth, the project focuses on the developmental phase of young people aged 12 and above. Because analyzing the causes of radicalization and the mechanisms associated with it requires a longitudinal perspective, the same adolescents in this panel are followed across multiple waves.
The project began in 2022, when seventh-grade students were surveyed for the first time as part of the study. In 2024, the same participants were surveyed again in ninth grade, as part of the regular Lower Saxony Survey. An online survey is planned for 2026, by which time the majority of participants will be in eleventh grade. However, since some of the adolescents will no longer be reachable through schools, contact details were collected on a voluntary basis already in 2024. These contact details are stored separately from the questionnaire data. The questionnaires from the different waves are linked using a self-generated code.
The survey topics include, for example, personal and political opinions as well as experiences with violence. Established instruments are used, for instance to measure extremist attitudes. In addition, known factors associated with radicalization and extremism, as identified in the academic literature, are examined, along with other areas of the adolescents’ everyday lives, such as leisure activities, friendships, and family.
