How can criminal acts that intimidate or coerce a society be described?

The term that best describes criminal acts aimed at intimidating or coercing a society is terrorism. This is because terrorism specifically involves the use of violence, threats, or intimidation in order to instill fear, influence political decisions, or achieve ideological objectives. It often targets civilians and is intended to provoke a broader reaction or response from a larger audience, such as governments or communities.

While the other terms—kidnapping, extortion, and vandalism—represent serious criminal activities, they do not encapsulate the broader objective of instilling fear or coercing a society collectively in the way that terrorism does. Kidnapping typically focuses on the unlawful seizure of individuals, extortion involves obtaining something through threats against individuals or businesses, and vandalism refers to the deliberate destruction of property. Each of these acts can be severe and have their own implications, but they do not inherently carry the societal-wide intimidating purpose that characterizes terrorism.