UK Home Office Funds Research on 'Incels' Amid Rising Concerns
A commission's survey involving hundreds of men identifying as incels aims to investigate motivations and attitudes within this community.
The UK Home Office's Commission for Countering Extremism (CCE) has commissioned a study examining the behavior of individuals identifying as incels, or involuntary celibates, resulting in the payment of funds to participants.
The study involved 561 men from the UK and the US, who were each compensated £20 ($20) for completing a 40-minute survey.
Concerns regarding personal data security prevented some participants from completing the payment forms.
Out of the total participants, 126 opted to donate their compensation to the men's mental health charity, Movember.
Incels frequently describe their identity in relation to perceived difficulties in forming sexual or romantic relationships.
This group is noted for exhibiting high levels of misogyny, which can extend to endorsing violence.
Research indicates that incel ideology presents an emerging terrorism risk in the UK. Incels have been linked to various terrorist acts globally, including the van attack in Toronto in 2018, which resulted in ten fatalities.
Joe Whittaker, a lecturer at Swansea University who led the research alongside William Costello from the University of Texas at Austin, acknowledged the ethical implications of compensating individuals with potentially harmful views.
Whittaker emphasized the necessity of obtaining a diverse sample for effective research, stating, "All of research ethics is about trade-offs between two competing goods."
The compensation offered to participants was designed to exceed the national living wage of £11.44 but remained at a level deemed appropriate to attract genuine respondents without encouraging non-serious participation.
The study's findings suggest that while apprehensions exist regarding the payment of incels, it would be ethically dubious to assume that all individuals within this group hold extreme views.
Whittaker noted that generalizations about incels often arise from a vocal minority, complicating the understanding of the broader group.
He remarked on the potential difficulties posed by the government's Online Safety Act, which aims to mitigate harmful content on the internet.
He stressed the importance of not inadvertently driving incels into less accessible online spaces, which could inhibit further research.
The CCE, which had a budget of £1.7 million in the last fiscal year, reported that the study uncovered significant feelings of victimhood, anger, and misogyny among participants.
Approximately 5% of those surveyed indicated that they believe violence is "often" justified against those whom they perceive to harm their community.
A spokesperson for the CCE stated, "The CCE provides government with advice on all forms of extremism and commissions independent research to help shape policy.
This study required direct engagement with incels to understand the demographics and psychology behind a largely anonymous online community."
The research methodology and participant compensation received ethical clearance from Swansea University’s faculty of medicine, human and life sciences ethics committee.
The CCE reaffirmed the importance of the study's findings in informing government strategies around societal misogyny.
The study involved 561 men from the UK and the US, who were each compensated £20 ($20) for completing a 40-minute survey.
Concerns regarding personal data security prevented some participants from completing the payment forms.
Out of the total participants, 126 opted to donate their compensation to the men's mental health charity, Movember.
Incels frequently describe their identity in relation to perceived difficulties in forming sexual or romantic relationships.
This group is noted for exhibiting high levels of misogyny, which can extend to endorsing violence.
Research indicates that incel ideology presents an emerging terrorism risk in the UK. Incels have been linked to various terrorist acts globally, including the van attack in Toronto in 2018, which resulted in ten fatalities.
Joe Whittaker, a lecturer at Swansea University who led the research alongside William Costello from the University of Texas at Austin, acknowledged the ethical implications of compensating individuals with potentially harmful views.
Whittaker emphasized the necessity of obtaining a diverse sample for effective research, stating, "All of research ethics is about trade-offs between two competing goods."
The compensation offered to participants was designed to exceed the national living wage of £11.44 but remained at a level deemed appropriate to attract genuine respondents without encouraging non-serious participation.
The study's findings suggest that while apprehensions exist regarding the payment of incels, it would be ethically dubious to assume that all individuals within this group hold extreme views.
Whittaker noted that generalizations about incels often arise from a vocal minority, complicating the understanding of the broader group.
He remarked on the potential difficulties posed by the government's Online Safety Act, which aims to mitigate harmful content on the internet.
He stressed the importance of not inadvertently driving incels into less accessible online spaces, which could inhibit further research.
The CCE, which had a budget of £1.7 million in the last fiscal year, reported that the study uncovered significant feelings of victimhood, anger, and misogyny among participants.
Approximately 5% of those surveyed indicated that they believe violence is "often" justified against those whom they perceive to harm their community.
A spokesperson for the CCE stated, "The CCE provides government with advice on all forms of extremism and commissions independent research to help shape policy.
This study required direct engagement with incels to understand the demographics and psychology behind a largely anonymous online community."
The research methodology and participant compensation received ethical clearance from Swansea University’s faculty of medicine, human and life sciences ethics committee.
The CCE reaffirmed the importance of the study's findings in informing government strategies around societal misogyny.
