Perception of Security and Youth

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This entry is adapted from the peer-reviewed paper 10.3390/socsci12040227

Trying to connect young adults and the concept of security may seem to be a moot point because the outcome is already known: Young adults are not interested in security matters. On many occasions, when linking the concepts of youth and security, a discourse is created in which the youth are held responsible for the perceived insecurity, and for the scarce implication they have in working towards a safer and more stable world.

youth/young adults security perception

1. What Is “Youth”?

There is not one definitive answer to this question since, if researchers focus on age, there are different opinions on what age can be considered “young”. However, many people generally consider young adults to be between 19 and 29 years old (Heinz 2009). This is typically the time when people are completing their education, starting their professional careers, and establishing themselves and their independence. Ultimately, it depends on each individual to determine when one no longer feels “young.” However, in order to properly analyze this study, it is necessary to decide upon a specific population. An age group must be identified to know who exactly researchers are discussing, and who is the subject of the investigation.

In relation to what is referred to as being “young”, it is important to consider one of Bourdieu’s (1990) affirmations: Age divisions are arbitrary. Many authors, such as Taguenca Belmonte (2009), Margulis and Urresti (1998), and Goñi Palacios et al. (2012), have studied the concept of youth and the characteristics that it encompasses. For this research, researchers chose age as the selection criterion for the population under investigation. Subsequently, people between 19 and 29 years old were chosen as the objective population.

Research on youth also requires an understanding of the concept of ageism. Ageism is a term used to describe prejudice or discrimination against a person because of their age. This can include unequal treatment in the workplace, at school, in the healthcare sector, or in society in general. Treating one in a paternalistic way is one of the topics most closely related to ageism. It can be defined as a form of relating to another person as if one was their parent, treating them with affection and protectiveness but also with a certain degree of condescension and a lack of respect for their independence, as Liebel (2007) has indicated. The paternalism that lies within ageism is the most common attitude that researchers encounter in investigations that study youth. As for the present study, paternalistic attitudes were intentionally avoided in the data analysis.

The circumstances of the youths in Europe are rather mixed. There are many young people who are successful and prosperous in their endeavors, but there is also a great number of youths who are fighting to better their position in life. The situation of young people in Europe greatly varies from one country to another and depends on many factors, such as age, social and economic status, education, etc.

This study is centered on the perception of security by young people with certain characteristics—young people from an international relations and security background who will be qualified to occupy relevant positions in security and defense in the near future—as previously outlined in the introduction. These perspectives cannot be lost because they are the visions of young people who are already actively involved in these fields. This provides researchers with several positive and negative components that must not be forgotten in the analysis of their opinions.

2. What Is Security?

Citizens demand and need to be defended and protected against the risks and dangers that exist and that weaken or threaten their well-being and security. To achieve this, the State, through its democratic representatives, has at its disposition the Armed Forces. With their human and material resources (among other instruments), they should organize, prepare, and act imperatively, ethically, and legally, under the subordination of public powers (Moliner González 2019).

Security is protection against danger, harm, or pain, as Rothschild (1995) has pointed out. Security is essential so that people may carry out a healthy and productive life. Security is a state of well-being, protection, and tranquility. This is the most comprehensive definition that can be used as a common denominator and a foundation on which to base the rest of the definitions. It is the minimum to which researchers can allude. Regarding European security, it is a concept that includes the protection of interests and the security of European countries. It refers to a very vast subject, including topics from military security and defense to economic security and the protection of human rights.

The main objective of the European Union (EU) is to maintain the peace and security of the European continent. There are authors who consider the roots of the EU to be the search for peace on the continent and not so much economic collaboration. Their elaborations further suggest that the true intention of the establishment of the EU was to avoid a Third World War. To achieve this, the EU has a series of mechanisms and cooperation structures, such as the European Security and Defense Policy, the European Union Security Council, and the European Security Agency. The EU also plays an important role in peace-keeping measures and international security through its cooperation with the United Nations and other multilateral organizations. (Sperling and Webber 2019).

European security is a very relevant, current topic due to numerous challenges that the region has had to confront. The main European security problems are terrorism, illegal immigration, organized crime, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Researchers cannot lose sight of the immense majority of EU countries that pertain to another organization: the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), whose objective is to maintain the security and collective defense of its twenty-nine member countries. NATO was founded in 1949 after the Second World War, with the objective of defending Western Europe against the threat of communism. Throughout the years, it has faced up against the vicissitudes of history, such as the Cold War, and it has subsequently adapted to the changes that have occurred around the world (Fernández 2022).

Today, the security of its members continues to be a priority for NATO, and it strives to maintain a solid, cohesive military structure, as is seen each day with the Ukraine conflict and the protection of the interests of the neighboring countries. In recent years, NATO’s main security challenge has been the increase in political and military activity in Russia, Eastern Europe, and the Mediterranean. The annexation of Crimea in 2015, the military intervention in Ukraine, and the support of the rebels in Syria have shown the expansionist intentions of Russia (Pardo 2018). This has led to a significant deterioration in the relationship between Russia and the West—a relationship that detonated the military invasion of Ukraine at the beginning of 2022, putting NATO and all its member countries on a state of high alert.

Another important challenge for the security of NATO that cannot be forgotten is the increase in terrorist threats in Europe. After the terrorist attacks in Paris and Bruges in 2015, the level of terrorist threats in Europe has grown significantly. NATO has been working closely with the countries of Europe to improve the security in the entire continent with regard to the situations with third-party countries. In general, NATO is up against a series of internal and external security challenges. The Alliance is constantly working to improve its defense capabilities and to respond to threats that deal with an all-encompassing concept of security, such as the one chosen at the Madrid Summit in June of 2022 (Morales Hernández 2018).

Recent years have borne witness to an increase in international security challenges. Climate change, the increase in forced migrations, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, nuclear threats, and the availability of energy sources are just some of the problems that the world is currently facing. International security challenges are progressively more complex and interconnected. For example, climate change has increased the quantity of people who flee their homes due to droughts, floods, and other natural disasters. This is also creating more conflicts since those who migrate find themselves competing for resources. The increase in forced migrations is also having an impact on international security since migrant people are more likely to be victims of crime and terrorism (Léonard and Kaunert 2019).

It is important that the nations work together to confront these problems effectively. The line between security and insecurity grows finer each day, and civic responsibility has an increasingly important role.

3. Security and Human Security

The conceptualization of security is something that has always been discussed with the intent of developing strategies that improve security. The center of attention and the one responsible for that security is the State (McDonald 2002). The threats often come from the actions of other Nations and, in general, are of military origin.

The traditional concept of State Security refers to the defense of a State against external threats, such as a foreign invasion or a threat from the Armed Forces. This includes the physical defense of its borders, as well as the maintenance of national sovereignty. State Security also includes the protection of its population, the economy, and the State’s territory. Security is considered a basic survival need of a country, and therefore, this protection is a top priority for governments. This is generally achieved through the development of the Armed Forces, as well as by strengthening diplomacy.

At the end of the last century, a new concept appeared in relation to security that went deeper than its original understanding. The perception of security has changed. The concept of human security had emerged. The definition of this concept began to evolve until it was solidified in the 1994 Human Development Report, which appeared in the United Nations Program for Development and formally included the concept in its works.

The idea of human security as analyzed in the report references seven security categories (Tadjbakhsh and Chenoy 2007) that pertain to citizens:

-: Economic security;
-: Food security;
-: Health security;
-: Environmental security;
-: Personal security;
-: Community security;
-: Political security.

Human security is a central concept in the development of a healthy and equitable society. It refers to the protection of individual rights and freedoms of people of all origins, including human rights, civil rights, and physical security. Human security includes access to food, healthcare, employment, and housing, as well as the protection of private property. It also implies the protection of the people’s dignity, the prevention of violence and discrimination, and the promotion of a culture based on respect and solidarity among social groups.

Human security cannot be achieved without respecting human rights, social justice, and good governance policies (Camilleri 2020). This means that the State should guarantee the security of its citizens and it should establish policies and laws that protect human rights. Human security should also include protection against violence, exploitation, and discrimination. Strengthening all these aspects is a fundamental step toward sustainable development and well-being in society.

After its emergence, the concept of human security quickly became the most used concept in relation to security analysis (Camilleri 2020). It seemed that the traditional concept of security had disappeared. Today, it is understood that both concepts are necessary when dealing with matters related to security (Albert et al. 2021). Depending on the point of view from which researchers base their argument, researchers may use one term or the other. Since the risks can come from many directions, from water contamination to a military attack at the border, the theories are not mutually exclusive, but rather equally necessary.

References

Heinz, Walter R. 2009. Youth transitions in an age of uncertainty. In Handbook of Youth and Young Adulthood. London: Routledge, pp. 19–29.
Bourdieu, Pierre. 1990. La juventud no es más que una palabra. Sociología y Cultura 7: 163–73.
Taguenca Belmonte, Juan Antonio. 2009. El concepto de juventud. Revista mexicana de sociología 71: 159–90.
Margulis, Mario, and Marcelo Urresti. 1998. La construcción social de la condición de juventud. Viviendo a toda. Jóvenes, territorios culturales y nuevas sensibilidades 1: 3–21.
Goñi Palacios, Eider, Aránzazu Fernández Zabala, and Guillermo Infante Borinaga. 2012. El autoconcepto personal: Diferencias asociadas a la edad y al sexo. Oviedo: Aula Abierta.
Liebel, Manfred. 2007. Paternalismo, participación y protagonismo infantil. In Participación infantil y juvenil en América Latina. Edited by Y. Corona and M. E. Linares. México: Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana.
Moliner González, Juan Antonio. 2019. Promoviendo la cultura de defensa en el ámbito universitario. 20 años del Instituto Universitario “General Gutiérrez Mellado”. Revista UNISCI 51: 15–41.
Rothschild, Emma. 1995. What is security? Daedalus 124: 53–98.
Sperling, James, and Mark Webber. 2019. The European Union: Security governance and collective securitisation. West European Politics 42: 228–60.
Fernández, Miguel Ángel. 2022. El camino hacia Madrid: El futuro de la OTAN tras la Cumbre de Madrid de 2022. Cuadernos de estrategia 211: 15–24.
Pardo, Margarita. 2018. Política de Seguridad y Defensa de la UE: Relaciones con la OTAN. Granada: Grupo de Estudios en Seguridad Internacional.
Morales Hernández, Javier. 2018. Seguridad ontológica y percepciones de amenaza: Rusia ante la ampliación de la OTAN. Revista de estudios en Seguridad internacional 4: 1–15.
Léonard, Sarah, and Christian Kaunert. 2019. Refugees, Security and the European Union. London: Routledge.
McDonald, Matt. 2002. Human security and the construction of security. Global Society 16: 277–95.
Tadjbakhsh, Shahrbanou, and Anuradha Chenoy. 2007. Human Security: Concepts and Implications. London: Routledge.
Camilleri, Julia A. 2020. Human security: From theory to practice. In Why Human Security Matters. London: Routledge, pp. 12–33.
Albert, Craig, Amado Baez, and Joshua Rutland. 2021. Human security as biosecurity: Reconceptualizing national security threats in the time of COVID-19. Politics and the Life Sciences 40: 83–105.

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1. What Is “Youth”?

2. What Is Security?

3. Security and Human Security

References