National security features prominently in Australian public debate, yet emerging evidence suggests substantial gender differences in self-reported national security knowledge, perceptions of security threats, and engagement with national security issues. While previous research has identified these differences, it remains unclear whether they reflect underlying attitudes towards security or are shaped by the ways national security is defined, framed and communicated.
This paper presents findings from the first stage of a broader research program examining gender, public opinion and national security in Australia. Building on recent National Security College survey data, this paper investigates how alternative framings of national security influence public understandings of security issues and whether these effects vary by gender. Using an original Australian survey experiment, participants were randomly assigned to different conceptions of national security, ranging from traditional military- and state-centric definitions to broader framings emphasising societal resilience, democratic participation and everyday security concerns. We examine how these framings shape perceptions of security threats, self-assessed knowledge, willingness to engage in national security discussions, and understandings of what constitutes a national security issue.
The paper contributes to scholarship at the intersection of gender studies, public opinion research and security studies by exploring how national security is socially constructed and understood by different groups of Australians. It argues that public engagement with national security cannot be understood independently of the language and assumptions through which security issues are presented. In doing so, it offers new insights into the gendered dimensions of security discourse, with downstream impacts on participation, representation and policy legitimacy. The findings provide a basis for future academic, policy and practitioner engagement on inclusive approaches to national security in Australia.
