Education and Islamist Jihadism: A Survey of Muslim Australians

Abstract

This article presents findings from a national survey of 1034 Muslim Australians, examining the relationship between educational qualifications and Islamist-jihadist interpretations of Islam. A minority of respondents identified with indicators of Islamism, while a smaller sub-group identified with those associated with jihadism. Respondents educated in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields were more likely than their HSS (humanities and social science) counterparts to accept ideas associated with Islamism and to a much lesser extent jihadism. Ideas associated with jihadism were more likely among respondents without a tertiary qualification than among those educated in either HSS or STEM fields.