European democracies need the support of their citizens not only at the ballot box but also through co-operation in implementing public policies. To mobilise popular support for security policies, governments need their citizens to see that their country faces substantial threats to its security. This will make ordinary people more likely to accept giving security policies priority over popular social policies. The task is easier to accomplish when the threat hits people directly, such as global inflation. It can be harder when the threat is distant in space, as Russian aggression in Ukraine is for many Europeans. Threats may also be distant in time, such as dire changes in the climate in 2050. Accountability to voters provides an incentive for politicians to make ordinary people aware of threats rather than hiding them, only to be caught out by events revealing their failure. The European Security Survey assesses the extent to which the general public is attentive to risks to their country’s security from the global economy, military action and climate change. Regression analyses find that within every country people divide according to their political attitudes and socio-economic status.