Misogyny a major driver of extremism in young men, royal commission told

The University of Melbourne's Sara Meger testified before the royal commission into antisemitism that misogyny is a significant factor contributing to extremism among young men. Her research, which surveyed 1,100 boys aged 13 to 17 and 2,300 adults, found that misogyny was the most common predictor of young men adopting extremist ideologies, surpassing political views, religiosity, ethnicity or social media engagement.

Dr. Meger emphasized that attitudes permitting violence against women were the strongest indicator of susceptibility to violent extremism, accounting for 90-97% of the variance in extremism measures when combined with specific online behaviors. She called for early intervention programs targeting children as young as six to mitigate the spread of misogynistic attitudes.

Teachers surveyed by Dr. Meger reported that approximately 25% of students had expressed attitudes legitimizing violence against the government, and many displayed hostile misogynistic attitudes. The research also uncovered the significant influence of influencers like Andrew Tate and the manosphere on these attitudes, alongside broader issues of racism and celebration of political violence.

Dr. Meger suggested that integrating awareness and risk assessment of gender attitudes could enhance early intervention strategies, potentially addressing political polarisation at younger ages. NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Leanne McCusker recounted that the department does not run deradicalization programs but contributes to initiatives like the engagement and support program.

The program's effectiveness in identifying and referring individuals at risk of radicalization was highlighted, with a focus on involving relatives, colleagues, and friends in early detection.