University provides evidence to major national review of UK counter-terrorism law

Dr Paul Simpson worked with colleagues in the UK, France and Germany to survey thousands of people about their perceptions of terrorism
Police tape – Scene of an urban area cordoned off by blue tape

University provides evidence to major national review of UK counter-terrorism law

Dr Paul Simpson worked with colleagues in the UK, France and Germany to survey thousands of people about their perceptions of terrorism

Research by the University of Plymouth has helped inform the Independent Commission on UK Counter-Terrorism Law, Policy and Practice, whose final report was published today.
The Commission’s wide-ranging review draws on evidence from across academia, law, policing, civil society, and affected communities to make recommendations for the future of UK counter-terrorism policy.
Among the expert contributions was evidence from Dr Paul Simpson , Associate Professor of Human Geography from the University of Plymouth, and Dr Sara Fregonese, Associate Professor of Political Geography at the University of Birmingham.
Their research, part of the international project Atmospheres of (Counter)Terrorism in European Cities (ATmoCT), was cited in several sections of the report addressing public attitudes toward terrorism and counter-terrorism measures.
The AtmoCT project surveyed 15,000 people across the UK, France and Germany to explore how they perceived terrorist threats and experience counter-terrorism measures in public spaces.
Based on a representative sample of more than 5,000 people in the UK, it found that terrorism is closely associated with fatalities in the public understanding, evidence cited by the Commission in its call for a more focused definition of terrorism.
The research also found noticeable differences in people’s experiences and considerations of counter-terrorism measures by gender, religion, ethnicity, and age. Based on this evidence, the report calls for equality impact assessment in relation to the different impacts that counterterrorism measures have on people.

Our findings show that while people broadly support counter-terrorism measures, they experience them in different ways depending on background and context. It’s encouraging to see this kind of social evidence being taken seriously at a national policy level.

Paul SimpsonDr Paul Simpson
Associate Professor of Human Geography

The key findings from the ATmoCT project included:
  • Terrorism as one concern among many: Only 8 per cent of UK respondents identified terrorism as a top national issue, ranking it behind poverty, health, the environment, and employment.
  • A gap between perception and reality: Over 70 per cent of the UK public associate terrorism with bombs or explosions, even though most recent UK attacks involve bladed or blunt weapons.
  • Differences across communities: Concern about terrorism varies across religious groups, with Jewish respondents reporting the highest levels of worry and Muslim respondents the lowest.
  • Mixed views on counter-terrorism measures: While most respondents see current measures as appropriate, opinions differ by age, gender and ethnicity – with older people generally favouring stronger enforcement and younger people more concerned about surveillance.
The Commission’s report draws on this and other evidence to call for regular reviews of counter-terrorism legislation, clearer public information about threats and security measures, and stronger engagement with communities most affected by counter-terrorism policies.

We were one of many research teams whose work the Commission considered, and we are pleased that our evidence helped highlight how counterterrorism is experienced by the public in everyday life. Understanding these perceptions is vital for ensuring security policies remain both effective and socially grounded.

Dr Sara Fregonese
Associate Professor of Political Geography at the University of Birmingham

About Atmospheres of (Counter)Terrorism

Atmospheres of (Counter)Terrorism in European Cities is a collaboration between the University of Plymouth, the University of Birmingham, CY Cergy Paris Université, and the University of Jena. The project combines large-scale survey data and qualitative research to examine how counter-terrorism policies shape urban space, mobility and social interaction. It received over €1million in funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (part of UK Research and Innovation), France's Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR) and the German Research Foundation (DFG).
 

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Dr Paul Simpson teaches on the Geography degrees at the University of Plymouth. As part of those programmes, he teaches about counterterrorism on a module on Urban Planning, Design and Security, focusing on how terror threat and counterterrorism concerns have influenced urban design initiatives. This teaching is directly informed by findings from the ATmoCT project, and ongoing work by Dr Simpson and colleagues to explore the contemporary challenges terror threats pose for the built environment and the social life of cities.
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