Social assessments of the safety of educational institutions in youth in the context of gender and material security

Abstract

This study investigates the social assessments of safety in educational institutions among young individuals, considering gender and material security factors. The research, conducted between October 2022 and May 2023, involved surveys and interviews with 1183 students aged 18 to 27. The study revealed that while most students assessed their awareness of safety positively, there were disparities between genders and financial statuses. Despite generally positive assessments, nearly 37% of students experienced fear about safety in educational institutions, with 6.8% experiencing constant fear. The authors' study of student youth demonstrated a high level of self-assessments of awareness of the rules of behavior in case of a Columbine, a high assessment of the security of educational institutions and, at the same time, a high level of fears of an armed attack. It was found that lower assessments of awareness, security of educational institutions and higher levels of fear were observed among girls as compared to boys. Youth with low material status have lower assessments of awareness, security compared to youth with medium and high financial status and experience a higher level of fear of attack. Youth see the main way to solve the problem in strengthening security, access control and technical equipment.