The influence of education on the issue of hybrid threats

Abstract

The contribution is devoted to the issue of hybrid threats in connection with the level of education achieved. Hybrid threats represent coordinated activities by which different interest groups try to influence people in other areas. The research subjects are the respondents divided according to their levels of education. Data for the research were collected through the questionnaire method. The study was based on predetermined hypotheses, subsequently verified by statistical tests. The research was conducted with 157 respondents. The research results reveal that the level of education impacts the knowledge of the concept of hybrid threats. The verified hypothesis confirms this conclusion, the result of which is at the level of value p = 0.0482. The second hypothesis proves the danger of hybrid threats and their relationship with achieved education, calculated at the level of p=0.0334. The research also focused on the area related to information sharing and its subsequent verification. The hypothesis, aimed at verifying information from multiple sources, did not confirm the differences between university-educated respondents and respondents with secondary education. The verified hypothesis represented the value level of p = 0.039. To eliminate hybrid threats, effective and efficient measures would be used to prevent the spread of negative impacts on society. In this context, the hypothesis was established for examining the differences between educational attainment and protection methods against hybrid threats. The result of the verified hypothesis at the level of p = 0.04 confirms the differences between the level of education. It shows that people with higher education consider an effective educational process to protect against misinformation, compared to people with secondary education who favour repressive measures and various forms of control by the government.