ABSTRACT
GOODE & BEN-YEHUDA seeks to systematize the moral panic concept by identifying its characteristic features: (1) concern: there must be a heightened degree of concern about the behaviour of a group or segment within the society (the putative folk devils); (2) hostility: there must be an increased level of hostility towards the folk devil group; (3) consensus: there must be wide agreement that the folk devil group and their behaviour represent a real and serious threat; (4) disproportionality: the degree of concern over the threat is beyond that which could be sustained by a realistic appraisal; (5) volatility: moral panics erupt suddenly and may subside just as quickly. While moral panics often have an objective basis, their defining feature is that claims about their seriousness are out of step with what the empirical evidence can warrant.
