Gender-specific behavior change following terror attacks

TL;DR

This study analyzes how terror attacks influence gender-specific behavior changes in affected city populations by examining mobile communication patterns within 24 hours post-attack.

Contribution

It provides novel insights into gender-differentiated behavioral responses to terror attacks using real-time mobile data analysis.

Findings

Gender differences in activity patterns increase after terror attacks.

Behavioral responses vary significantly between males and females.

Real-time mobile data reveals distinct post-attack behavioral shifts.

Abstract

Terrorists use violence in pursuit of political goals. While terror often has severe consequences for victims, it remains an open question how terror attacks affect the general population. We study the behavioral response of citizens of cities affected by $7$ different terror attacks. We compare real-time mobile communication patterns in the first $24$ hours following a terror attack to the corresponding patterns on days with no terror attack. On ordinary days, the group of female and male participants have different activity patterns. Following a terror attack, however, we observe a significant increase of the gender differences. Knowledge about citizens' behavior response patterns following terror attacks may have important implications for the public response during and after an attack.