KUALA LUMPUR: Racism is a bigger factor leading to violent extremism among young people in Malaysia than religiosity, say University of Putra Malaysia researchers.

This was one of the findings in a new study, titled “Normative Beliefs About Countering Violent Extremism: A Study on Malaysian Youths”, conducted by the varsity's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (Department of Psychiatry) senior lecturers Dr Siti Irma Fadhilah Ismail and Dr Tan Kit-Aun, alongside IMAN Research.

The study, which involved 1,139 Malaysian youths from the Klang Valley and Sabah between the ages of 18 and 35, found that ethnocentrism - the belief that one's own culture is superior to others - was a stronger influence on positive attitude to violent extremism than religiosity.

Siti Irma said that the findings of the study showed that, contrary to popular beliefs, religiosity did not play a large part in Malaysian youths' attitude towards violent extremism.

She said this showed there was a need to encourage more integration between Malaysians of different races.

"Unfamiliarity (of other cultures) leads to ethnocentrism - so any kind of activities that encourages interaction (between Malaysians of different races) can help lessen ethnocentrism," she said.

The study also showed that another trait – manipulativeness – contributed positively towards violent extremism, she added.

Siti Irma said to counter this, empathy training could be given to children so that social behaviours could be encouraged.

This, she hoped, could address manipulative tendencies from a young age.

The study also found that socioeconomic factors did play a part in Sabah youths' attitudes towards violent extremism, she added.

This meant that any programmes designed to combat violent extremism needed to be tailored to fit the segment of youths targeted, she said.

The study, which was commissioned by the government of the Netherlands, can be accessed at www.imanresearch.com/publications.