Folk devils

Folk devils are individuals or groups portrayed in media and public discourse as deviant outsiders threatening societal values, often serving as targets of moral panics. The concept was coined by sociologist Stanley Cohen in his 1972 book Folk Devils and Moral Panics, referring to the scapegoats onto whom societal anxieties about social change are projected.

Claims that use this term

• The term was coined by Stanley Cohen in his 1973 book Folk Devils and Moral Panics.
• Folk Devils and Moral Panics is a 1972 sociology book by Stanley Cohen — the first book to define the social concept.