Setting our priorities right: (human) security as defined from the bottom-up

Description

One of the most persisting challenges of the human security concept are to decide what issues should be prioritised, what resources should be used to solve them and by whom, and who bears responsibility for this process. In this discourse, it is crucial to involve voices from the bottom-up: UK residents whose lives are directly affected by the answers given to the above questions. Our research project, the Alternative Security Review, used a mixed-methods approach to find out what security means to individuals residing in the UK. We argue that their priorities should be taken into account in top-down decision-making processes.

The three main data collection methods we used were public opinion surveys (quantitative), photovoice (arts-based), and interviews (qualitative). The two surveys used a sample of 1,091 respondents of the age group 16-30 and a sample of 2,004 respondents of the age group 31-75, all living in the UK. Results show that the majority of respondents defined ‘security’ in human security terms rather than state security ones, implying that their concept of ‘security’ is embedded into their daily life experiences and struggles. For both age groups, prioritisation of strengthening of local communities, access to healthcare, access to food, and a well-functioning physical environment were listed among the most important issues for an individual to feel secure.

These findings were further contextualised through our qualitative and arts-based research results. Smaller groups of UK residents used photovoice to visualise what security meant to them; their approach both confirmed and further deepened the issues raised by the survey, especially in the context of the well-functioning physical environment and the strengthening of local communities, but other human security issues were tackled as well. Finally, in-depth interviews were conducted with policymakers to find out how the bottom-up perspective can be brought to a common denominator.

Period	15 Jan 2026
Event title	5th Annual Peace and Conflict Studies Journal Conference
Event type	Conference
Location	Fort Lauderdale & Davie, United States, FloridaShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International