CENS EXPERT SURVEY ON EXTREMISM REPORT: CURRENT AND EMERGING THREATS

The CENS Expert Survey assessed prevailing sentiment among various violent extremism (VE) stakeholders. Among Southeast Asia experts, “Salafi-Jihadi terrorism and recruitment” was considered the most relevant issue. In the offline space, family connections were cited as the “most important” conduit for recruitment. Outside Southeast Asia, “far-right terrorism and recruitment” ranked a close second to Jihadi threats. It was also observed that VE groups in other regions were 15 per cent more likely to use online tools. Perceptions on whether VE groups exploited the COVID-19 pandemic were virtually the same across regions. COVID-19 was not as important a driver for inciting attacks in Southeast Asia or beyond. As societies spend more time online, VE groups have adjusted their recruitment and organisational activities.