Obviously it will be difficult to test in real life, because such an experiment would have to be believable, and in a first world country, such an experiment is both illegal and immoral.

But suppose that the same women that answered "bear" on the street interviews were given a real life choice. There are two doors. Behind one door is a man, and behind the other is a bear. Will they REALLY choose the door with the bear?

My hypothesis is that saying on camera, "bear", is a statement that translates to "Men scare me, though not to the extent of actual apex predators. HOWEVER I hope that by answering bear, this clearly shocking answer will encourage more men as a collective to reflect upon themselves and be nicer to and respect women, and/or society will create more laws to protect women from dangerous men. Because realistically, a woman has more probability of being chased by a man than a bear in the modern world, and answering "man" wont bring about the social change I want."

Unrelated tangent:

This hypothesis actually goes hand in the hand with the "do we need men" vs "do we need women" questions that are often asked. Women tend to answer "no" to the first, question, and men tend to answer "yes" to the second question.

In my opinion, this also highlights the difference in how men and women perceive the meanings behind their own responses. From a man's POV, the question is straightforward. Women are needed to carry on the human race. For a woman, the question is personal.By answering "no", it is a statement that men need to "step it up" and prove their own worth, in order to be considered worthy of being needed (by the women). The women in the interviews know that deep down, the world requires the labor of men to protect the country, build roads, etc. But by answering "yes, we need men", it puts the pressure to "become better" on the person answering the question to express gratitude and appreciation towards the other party. If they answer yes, it implies they are needy and powerless, and should be grateful of presence of all men just by their virtue of being men. That is what they interviewees want to avoid.

There is no need to become bitter about these interview responses. It's just a result of how men and women are wired to respond differently to certain stimuli as a result of evolutionary forces throughout tens of thousands of years.