Wearing a uniform makes men feel more secure, according to research by G4S Security Services (UK).
Almost twice as many men (41%) than women (26%) believe wearing a uniform reduces the likelihood of an individual being attacked, the survey of 1,500 people revealed.
More than half of women (56%) surveyed claimed a uniform does not affect their opinion of a person. Men were also found to be more likely to listen to, or obey the requests of someone in uniform.
Dr Mark Button, principle lecturer and associate head of the Institute of Criminal Justice Studies at the University of Portsmouth, said: “Popular culture has led us to believe that a uniformed presence would have more impact on women. However, our research reveals this to be erroneous.
“Men claim to feel more assured by a visible security presence and believe that, by wearing a uniform, potentially violent situations are more likely to be diffused.”
Both men and women (45%) were, however, in agreement that the main purpose of a uniform is to make the person wearing it easily identifiable.
