World Risk Poll gender snapshot reveals how men and women’s risk perceptions and experiences differ

Based on the 2021 World Risk Poll dataset, and building on all four of the published thematic 2021 World Risk Poll reports, the gender report reveals that:

• Women are generally more pessimistic than men about the future and the risks they may face, with 4 percentage points more women than men saying they felt less safe than five years previously.
• Women are significantly more likely to be concerned about theft and misuse of their personal data online.
• Women report lower resilience to disasters and shocks (such as those caused by natural hazards) than men, largely due to lower financial resilience, being less able to cover basic needs for extended periods in the event of loss of household income.
• While, at a global level, men are marginally more likely to report experiencing violence and harassment at work, women were much more likely to face a sexual element to this abuse.

The report is the first of a series of short ‘Focus On’ papers that will build on the major 2021 World Risk Poll reports by taking a deep-dive into the data for different demographics and particular safety issues in different parts of the world.

Find out more about sex-based differences in the World Risk Poll by reading the full report and accompanying blog.

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