The Empirical Dimension of the Military Students’ Perception on the National Security of the Republic of Moldova

The article presents research results on elucidates the perceptions of military students concerning some aspects of national security, generally, and of the Republic of Moldova’s security, particularly. The aim was also to delineate some military students' views on general and particular national security issues, encompassing social attitudes that contribute to strengthening national security, certain factors that shape national identity, and both internal and external threats. The research employed a survey methodology, utilizing questionnaires as the principal research instrument to gather data. The research also aimed at an indirect evaluation of the respondents' knowledge about national security and security education. The data reveal that factors, such as residence, significantly impact how patriotic education influences national identity, while traditional values like national symbols and traditions are less influential among older age groups. Despite some gender differences, there are few statistically significant correlations between the information sources military students use to perceive national security threats and their demographic characteristics, indicating a largely uniform influence across gender, age, and residence. This uniformity suggests that institutional training and military culture may provide a consistent framework that shapes students' views on security threats, minimizing the impact of demographic differences.