Resilience to violent radicalisation will be mapped in a new study

Previous research on violent radicalization has mainly focused on individuals who have actually been radicalized. Now, a unique new study is being launched at Jönköping University (JU) that instead examines resilience - why some individuals who have been exposed to recruitment attempts by violent groups do not allow themselves to be recruited.

The study, conducted by Marco Nilsson, Assistant Professor of Political Science at the School of Education and Communication, JU, aims to understand what factors have contributed to individuals' resilience to recruitment attempts.

The research project is based on Marco Nilsson's previous project After the Caliphate, in which both active and former jihadists who fought for IS, for example, were interviewed. During the project, he also came into contact with people who had been subjected to recruitment attempts but had not traveled to Syria. These experiences will now be central to the new study.

Providing better support in the future

"After the After the Caliphate project ended, I thought that they are an important source of knowledge about what can protect against radicalization. Therefore, I will now use my old contacts to identify protective factors against radicalization," says Marco Nilsson.

Some protective factors that can already be observed are:

• Present father/male role model
• Success at school
• Belief in peaceful interpretations of religion
• Positive social environment
• Critical questions posed to the recruiter

Hopefully, the project's knowledge can help strengthen young people's resilience and provide better support to those who risk being exposed to radicalization attempts in the future.

Facts

The project is funded by the Swedish Center against Violent Extremism (CVE) and will run from autumn 2025 to spring 2026.

Marco Nilsson is one of Sweden's foremost experts on violent extremism and is a frequent media commentator. In 2022, he published the book Jihadism in Scandinavia - Motivations, Experiences, and Change , in which he interviewed active and former jihadists, such as IS fighters. Read news about the book here.

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