Civic Homeland Security Culture: A Poll Study Approach and the Example of Pennsylvania

Abstract

COVID-19 response experience around the world has demonstrated that it is indispensable to understand the public understanding of, and needs during, risk, hazards, and crisis in public policy, in particular related to the security of society as a whole. The ultimate goal of homeland security and broader civil (or sometimes referred to as societal) security alike, as well as of related security science research, is to accomplish resilient societies through a culture of preparedness. Civic security culture is a necessary ingredient to such a culture of preparedness. The security culture perspective also helps understand how a resilient society and nation can be fostered while enhancing democratic values. This chapter discusses civic security culture (different, for example, from elite culture, first responder culture, agency culture, organizational culture, or safety culture) using the example of U.S. homeland security. Specifically, employing and extrapolating from the results of a multi-year Pennsylvania representative opinion poll study, it demonstrates how to investigate civic homeland security culture empirically and portrays a picture of such culture in a large U.S. state that appears to allow for some reasonable generalizations. In its conclusion, the chapter also indicates how such study of security culture can help assess homeland and/or civil security policy and governance, identify gaps, and recommend improvements.