Examination of terrorist fear and security perception in university students in terms of various variables

Terrorism is defined as violence or the threat of violence planned to create an Terrorism is defined as violence or the threat of violence planned to create an atmosphere of fear in people. The aim of terrorist acts is the long-term psychological effects on individuals living in the society rather than their short-term effects such as damage, injury and loss of life. This study aims to determine the dimensions university students perceive regarding the fear of terrorism and to reveal the perception levels of these dimensions. In addition, this study it is aimed to examine the fear of terror and the perception of security in university students in terms of various variables. In this context, a questionnaire was applied to 328 university students studying in Gaziantep. Within the scope of the research, it was seen that university students have two different perceptions regarding terrorist acts, namely "perception of security" and "fear of terrorism". According to the study's results, it was determined that the fear of terror and security perceptions of university students were partially high. These results found no significant difference in all dimensions according to gender and age variables. When the averages are examined, it is seen that the level of security perception of men is higher than that of women. It has been determined that the fear of terror among women is higher than that of men. It was observed that graduate students perceived terror fear at a higher level than undergraduate students. In addition, it was observed that participants with middle income perceived a lower level of terror fear than other participants. In addition, it was concluded that the participants living with their parents had a higher level of security perception than the participants living with their spouses and children. It has been determined that people who have witnessed a terrorist act before having a higher level of terror fear and a lower level of security perception than those who have not seen such a situation. In addition, it has been observed that people whose relatives or relatives have been victims of terrorist acts perceive the fear of terrorism at a relatively higher level and the perception of security at a relatively low level. As a result, it has been seen that the phenomenon of terrorism affects university students negatively and creates uneasiness. However, it has been understood that these students feel safe thanks to the protective and preventive operations of the law enforcement forces of the Republic of Turkey. In other words, in this study examining the terror and security perceptions of university students, it was seen that the terror fear of the students was moderate and high inclination. However, within the scope of the fight against terrorism, it was concluded that the precautions and security measures taken by the State of the Republic of Turkey increased the security perception of the students.