Does Social Cohesion Predict Justification of Extremist Violence? Evidence From the Sahel Region in Burkina Faso

Many governments have invested in interventions that foster social cohesion to promote peace and prevent the rise of violent extremism. Yet, we know little about the relationship between social cohesion and support for violent extremism. This research (N = 5016) examined cross-sectional relationships between different dimensions of social cohesion and violent extremism in 132 villages in the Sahel region of Burkina Faso (Study 1). In addition, using longitudinal data from 66 villages (Study 2: N = 2508), we assessed whether social cohesion predicts violence justification six months later. At the individual level, sense of community, outgroup trust and institutional trust were associated with lower justification of violence. Community participation was associated with higher justification of violence in villages with high levels of community participation. Between-village effects revealed that justification of violence was lower in villages with higher aggregate levels of ingroup and outgroup trust but lower levels of community participation.