Abstract
The task of designing and interpreting surveys is challenging when an underlying social phenomenon is not clearly elucidated in the literature. Salafi (Islamist) extremism embraced by organizations such as the Islamic State is one such phenomenon. The consensus view is that it is complex, without a well-identified root cause. In our global society, such powerful social movements have emerged. I discuss how surveys that are designed and interpreted without the context of a well-specified theory of such movements can lead to misspecified empirical models or misleading measures of key concepts. I also illustrate how one may go about developing a theory of Salafi extremism and validate it using empirical data. The proposed theoretical framework can form a basis for additional surveys that can further help delineate the phenomenon.
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