# Read the data from indices_table.txt
df <- as.data.frame(readRDS("Israel Survey/data/il_pe.RDS"))

wave_var <- "Wave"
community_var <- "pe_left_center_right"

# Define wave order
wave_order <- c("First", "Second", "Third", "Fourth", "Fifth", "Sixth")

# Calculate the Political E xtremism Gauge Indices
indices_result <- af_gauge_indices(df, pop_var1 = wave_var, comm_var1 = community_var,
                                   threshold_type = "MAD", k_factor = 1.5)
df <- indices_result$df

Key Articles:

Research Question:

How do prolonged national crises (war, political upheaval, social division) impact radicalization processes among adults aged 70 and older?

Hypotheses:

  • H1a: Exposure to prolonged national crisis will significantly increase extremist attitudes among older adults compared to pre-crisis baseline levels.
  • H1b: The relationship between crisis exposure and radicalization will be stronger among older adults (70+) than younger cohorts due to accumulated life investment and perceived legacy threats.

1 Academic Discourse

Academic research specifically focusing on radicalization and extremism in the third age (older adults/post-retirement age) appears to be relatively limited, but there are some relevant findings and related areas of study:

Michael Jensen from START (Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism) at University of Maryland published research on “The Link Between Age and Extremism” noting that Capitol riot defendants were “overwhelmingly older Americans”.

Political Behavior and Aging:

Research on “Political Alienation and Voting Attitudes Among the Elderly Generation” published in The Gerontologist examining political inefficacy and cynicism among older adults Political Alienation and Voting Attitudes Among the Elderly Generation.

Pew Research Center studies on generational political imprinting, showing how political events during formative years shape lifelong political attitudes The politics of American generations: How age affects attitudes and voting behavior

Ageism and Political Participation:

Recent research published in PMC on how perceived ageism affects older adults’ civic participation and mental health

Broader Extremism Research:

RAND Corporation research on former extremists and their families, though not age-specific What Do Former Extremists and Their Families Say About Radicalization and Deradicalization in America?

1.1 References

Primary Sources on Age and Extremism

Jensen, M. (2023, March). The link between age and extremism. ASA Generations. https://www.start.umd.edu/publication/link-between-age-and-extremism

Political Behavior and Aging

Rule, W. L. B. (1977). Political alienation and voting attitudes among the elderly generation. The Gerontologist, 17(5_Part_1), 400–404. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/17.5_Part_1.400

Pew Research Center. (2014, July 9). The politics of American generations: How age affects attitudes and voting behavior. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2014/07/09/the-politics-of-american-generations-how-age-affects-attitudes-and-voting-behavior/

Ageism and Political Participation

von Humboldt, S., Leal, I., & Pimenta, F. (2024). Older adults, perceived ageism, civic participation and mental health: A qualitative study. Aging & Mental Health. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2024.2348611

Chang, E. S., Kannoth, S., Levy, S., Wang, S. Y., Lee, J. E., & Levy, B. R. (2020). Ageism and psychological well-being among older adults: A systematic review. PLoS One, 15(4). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9008869/

Broader Extremism Research

RAND Corporation. (2021, June 25). What do former extremists and their families say about radicalization and deradicalization in America? https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RBA1071-1.html

Becker, M., Mayer, S. J., Ackermann, K., Jonas, K. J., & Müller-Isberner, R. (2019). Do radicalized minors have different social and psychological profiles from radicalized adults? Frontiers in Psychiatry, 10, 644. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00644

Related Gerontological Research

Binstock, R. H. (2010). From compassionate ageism to intergenerational conflict? The Gerontologist, 50(5), 574–585. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnq056

Ng, R., Chow, T. Y. J., & Yang, W. (2021). The impact of aging policy on societal age stereotypes and ageism. The Gerontologist, 62(4), 598–606. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnab151

Martinson, M., & Berridge, C. (2015). Successful aging and its discontents: A systematic review of the social gerontology literature. The Gerontologist, 55(1), 58–69. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4986586/

2 Initial Descriptive Information

2.1 Extremists Groups (ER-Based) Median Age

characteristics <- list(
  list(var = "age", type = "numerical", 
       title = "Age", subtitle = "[Years]")
)

af_create_extremist_tracking_table (df, 
                                    wave_var = "Wave", 
                                    wave_order = wave_order,
                                    extremist_flag_var = "i_er3", 
                                    extremist_title = "ER3", 
                                    table_title = "ER3 Extremists",
                                    characteristics = characteristics, 
                                    notes = "")
ER3 Extremists
First (N=37) Second (N=36) Third (N=19) Fourth (N=11) Fifth (N=15) Sixth (N=8)
Age
[Years]		 32.00
(39.00)		 42.50
(42.00)		 34.00
(40.00)		 46.00
(42.00)		 36.00
(40.00)		 39.00
(47.00)
 

af_create_extremist_tracking_table (df, 
                                    wave_var = "Wave", 
                                    wave_order = wave_order,
                                    extremist_flag_var = "i_er2", 
                                    extremist_title = "ER2", 
                                    table_title = "ER2 Extremists",
                                    characteristics = characteristics, 
                                    notes = "")
ER2 Extremists
First (N=234) Second (N=218) Third (N=106) Fourth (N=101) Fifth (N=201) Sixth (N=132)
Age
[Years]		 36.00
(39.00)		 39.00
(42.00)		 37.50
(40.00)		 43.00
(42.00)		 38.00
(40.00)		 49.00
(47.00)
 

af_create_extremist_tracking_table (df, 
                                    wave_var = "Wave", 
                                    wave_order = wave_order,
                                    extremist_flag_var = "i_er1", 
                                    extremist_title = "ER1", 
                                    table_title = "ER1 Extremists",
                                    characteristics = characteristics, 
                                    notes = "")
ER1 Extremists
First (N=913) Second (N=854) Third (N=535) Fourth (N=413) Fifth (N=884) Sixth (N=672)
Age
[Years]		 38.00
(39.00)		 43.00
(42.00)		 40.00
(40.00)		 41.00
(42.00)		 39.00
(40.00)		 47.00
(47.00)
 
plot_characteristics <- list(
  list(var = "age", type = "numerical", category = NULL, 
       title = "Age", subtitle = "[Years]"))

p <- af_create_extremist_tracking_plot (df, 
                                   wave_var = "Wave", 
                                   wave_order = wave_order, 
                                   extremist_flag_var = "i_er2", 
                                   characteristics = plot_characteristics, 
                                   line_labels = NULL, 
                                   BW = FALSE, 
                                   plot_title = "ER2 Extremists Age")

af_event_labels(p)

2.2 Extremists Groups (by Dimension) Median Age

af_create_extremist_tracking_table (df, 
                                    wave_var = "Wave", 
                                    wave_order = wave_order,
                                    extremist_flag_var = "i_cel", 
                                    extremist_title = "cel", 
                                    table_title = "Cognitive (Ideology) Extremists",
                                    characteristics = characteristics, 
                                    notes = "")
Cognitive (Ideology) Extremists
First (N=341) Second (N=309) Third (N=201) Fourth (N=178) Fifth (N=305) Sixth (N=224)
Age
[Years]		 40.00
(39.00)		 46.00
(42.00)		 43.00
(40.00)		 47.00
(42.00)		 41.00
(40.00)		 54.00
(47.00)
 

af_create_extremist_tracking_table (df, 
                                    wave_var = "Wave", 
                                    wave_order = wave_order,
                                    extremist_flag_var = "i_bel", 
                                    extremist_title = "bel", 
                                    table_title = "Behavioral (Violence) Extremists",
                                    characteristics = characteristics, 
                                    notes = "")
Behavioral (Violence) Extremists
First (N=578) Second (N=504) Third (N=307) Fourth (N=225) Fifth (N=520) Sixth (N=393)
Age
[Years]		 36.00
(39.00)		 40.00
(42.00)		 36.00
(40.00)		 39.00
(42.00)		 37.00
(40.00)		 43.00
(47.00)
 

af_create_extremist_tracking_table (df, 
                                    wave_var = "Wave", 
                                    wave_order = wave_order,
                                    extremist_flag_var = "i_sel", 
                                    extremist_title = "sel", 
                                    table_title = "Social (Intolerance) Extremists",
                                    characteristics = characteristics, 
                                    notes = "")
Social (Intolerance) Extremists
First (N=265) Second (N=295) Third (N=152) Fourth (N=122) Fifth (N=275) Sixth (N=195)
Age
[Years]		 40.00
(39.00)		 40.00
(42.00)		 37.50
(40.00)		 42.50
(42.00)		 41.00
(40.00)		 43.00
(47.00)