Is right-wing terrorism on the rise? How measurement problems in terrorism research lead to different conclusions about the same phenomenon

Problems of measurement validity and representativity are endemic in terrorism research and have become particularly pronounced in the study of right-wing terrorism. By reviewing ten of the most frequently cited datasets covering right-wing terrorism in Western Europe and the United States, the paper explains why and how these datasets arrive at different conclusions about the same phenomenon. The paper also demonstrates that a peculiar public demand seems to exist for news about rising threats from the extreme right, while news about declining threats seem to be of less public interest. Finally, the paper proposes solutions to some of the problems that are identified.