A Comparative Analysis of the Factors Predicting Fears of Terrorism and Cyberterrorism in a Developing Nation Context

Abstract

Considering the continuous use of cyberspace for cyber-attacks and terrorism, the current study examined the phenomena of the fear of terrorism and cyberterrorism. It also investigates the factors influencing the fear of terrorism and of cyberterrorism and the predictive differences between the two. A multistage random sampling technique was utilized to collect data from 510 Indonesian participants at local administrative units and social networking site users. Structural equation model analysis was performed using SmartPLS 3.3.3 software. The results revealed that of the six predictors, exposure to online news, time spent online, political views, risk of immigrants' cyber-attacks, and religiosity significantly influenced creating fear of cyberterrorism. In contrast, religious service attendance was not significantly related to the creation of cyberterrorism fear among individual individuals. At the same time, all the factors, excluding time spent online, were significant predictors of creating fear of terrorism among the citizens of Indonesia. These findings can be utilized by practitioners, academicians, and government bodies to reduce the fear of terrorism and cyberterrorism among bill citizens of a developing nation by devising strategies and regulations and providing them with cyber security.