Dear STATALIST Members,

I am conducting a research project that aims to assess the determinants of radicalization/extremism. The dependent variable is radicalization which is measured through 15 survey questions/items (5-point Likert scale). The survey has 24 explanatory variables each of which is measured through several questions/items on 5-point Likert scales. The respondents of the survey belong to three different regions of the province (North, Center and South).

The survey questions measure individuals' preception and I, therefore, term these as individual-level factors. However, radicalization usually takes place in specific settings and therefore contextual factors, such as regional differences in economic development, regional gross domestic products, health facilities, government capacity, etc., are also of key importance. Secondary data on these variables for just one point of time is available from the national statistical office, i.e. for the year 2021.

I want to simultaneously analyze the individual and contextual factors to identify the important determinants of radicalization. After reading the relevant literature, I believe that my survey respondents are nested within regions which points to the hierarchal data structure. This took me to multilevel modeling. In this connection, I have the following questions.
  • Choice of the Model: Which type/category of the multilevel model suits survey data that is collected on a Likert scale? After reading a lot of literature for weeks, this confusion still remains.
  • Dependent variable: As mentioned above, the dependent variable is measured using 15 questions. Is there any way in multilevel modeling that allows using all these 15 items as dependent variables without the need to combine them into a composite index? Ideally, I would like to obtain item-specific estimates as well as a summary measure of the overall impact of all items.
  • Composite Index: In case it is mandatory to combine the items of the dependent variable into a composite index, which type of multilevel model would suit it?
I kindly request the forum members to please share their insights. I would be truly grateful.