Do men and women in Germany, France, and Poland view security policies differently, and if so, how? In general, the systematic analysis of Security Radar 2023 by the Friedrich-Ebert Foundation covers attitudes of European citizens towards military means in the Russian war in Ukraine, weapons delivery and changes to European security architecture, and European integration of Ukraine. This Spotlight on the Gender Knowledge Gap in Security Policies, as part of the Security Radar Series, reveals a gender knowledge gap which offers valuable insights about a gendered response pattern in survey data. Feminist scrutiny of the data brings to light a noteworthy trend: women across all three countries more frequently respond to survey questions with 'I don't know' than men. The low IDK ratio of men might indicate that men tend to avoid an IDK response even if it might be warranted, for example, when a question entails many unknown variables. Interestingly, women display greater confidence when addressing personal concerns and risks.
The analysis suggests that the lower 'I don't know' ratio among men may be attributed to social desirability bias. Socialised in patriarchal societies, men may feel compelled to demonstrate knowledge of security policy matters, potentially leading them to provide speculative answers. This response pattern, additionally, might contribute to an observed gender knowledge gap. Above all, this study highlights the necessity to reconsider the conceptualisation and analysis of surveys, particularly in the context of security policies. Potential pathways for doing so will be discussed during this event.