Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by martyb on Sunday October 16 2016, @08:53PM   Printer-friendly
from the The-only-thing-we-have-to-fear-is... dept.

Chapman University recently completed its third annual Chapman University Survey of American Fears (2016). The survey asked respondents about 65 fears across a broad range of categories including fears about the government, crime, the environment, the future, technology, health, natural disasters, as well as fears of public speaking, spiders, heights, ghosts and many other personal anxieties.

In addition to the set of fears examined in previous waves, the survey team took a closer look at two fear related phenomena: Americans' beliefs in conspiracy theories and fear of Muslims, sometimes referred to as "Islamophobia."

In its third year, the annual Chapman University Survey of American Fears included more than 1,500 adult participants from across the nation and all walks of life. The 2016 survey data is organized into five basic categories: personal fears, conspiracy theories, terrorism, natural disasters, paranormal fears, and fear of Muslims.

The 2016 survey shows that the top 10 things Americans fear the most are:

  • Corruption of government officials (same top fear as 2015)
  • Terrorist attacks
  • Not having enough money for the future
  • Being a victim of terror
  • Government restrictions on firearms and ammunition (new)
  • People I love dying
  • Economic or financial collapse
  • Identity theft
  • People I love becoming seriously ill
  • The Affordable Health Care Act/"Obamacare"

http://phys.org/news/2016-10-americans-annual-survey-american.html

A comprehensive list of the all the fears is available from The Chapman Survey on American Fears 2016.

A video is also available at: https://youtu.be/Rr0XAFbe8b8

Previously:
What Americans Fear Most (2014)


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 16 2016, @08:57PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 16 2016, @08:57PM (#414946)

    Not in the top ten? What are Americans thinking? Do they not know the dangers of strange Clowns standing around and inviting them "into the woods"?

    Starting Score:    0  points
    Moderation   +1  
       Funny=1, Total=1
    Extra 'Funny' Modifier   0  

    Total Score:   1  
  • (Score: 3, Informative) by takyon on Sunday October 16 2016, @09:01PM

    by takyon (881) <reversethis-{gro ... s} {ta} {noykat}> on Sunday October 16 2016, @09:01PM (#414948) Journal

    I checked the PDF [chapman.edu]. They are trending up.

    --
    [SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 16 2016, @09:20PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 16 2016, @09:20PM (#414955)

    Do they not know the dangers of strange Clowns standing around and inviting them "into the woods"?

    On the cynical side, I wonder if the recent clown-related hysteria was started as viral marketing for the upcoming movie remake of Stephen King's It.

    • (Score: 3, Insightful) by PartTimeZombie on Sunday October 16 2016, @09:44PM

      by PartTimeZombie (4827) on Sunday October 16 2016, @09:44PM (#414968)

      I wonder if the recent clown-related hysteria was started as viral marketing for the upcoming movie remake of Stephen King's It.

      That is my son's take on it. He seems to have worked it out for himself, I'm not sure if I should be proud or worried about the level of cynicism there.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 16 2016, @11:02PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 16 2016, @11:02PM (#415005)

        You should be proud of the level of cynicism.

    • (Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 16 2016, @09:45PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 16 2016, @09:45PM (#414969)

      No. Its anxiety about the orange clown's performances on tv every day. He's literally been giving little kids nightmares.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 16 2016, @10:51PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 16 2016, @10:51PM (#415003)

        They ALL float down here. When you're down here with us, you'll grab 'em by the pussy too!

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 17 2016, @11:22PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 17 2016, @11:22PM (#415460)

        He gives big kids nightmares too.

  • (Score: 3, Troll) by driverless on Monday October 17 2016, @02:50AM

    by driverless (4770) on Monday October 17 2016, @02:50AM (#415067)

    It actually shows how out-of-touch most people are with real risks. The actual list of threats is, in order:

    1. Trump becoming president.
    2. Heart disease (related: obesity).
    3. Cancer.
    4. Workplace/home/motor vehicle accidents.
    5. ...
    6. ...
    7. Climate change, bee colony collapse, etc.
    8. ...
    9. ...
    10. ...

       Bignum: Terrorism, firearms restrictions, and all the other paranoia on the original list.

    Scary to think that someone who's busy wheeling his three chins and four stomachs from the couch to the kitchen (see Risk #2) is worried about "government restrictions on firearms".

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 17 2016, @09:58AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 17 2016, @09:58AM (#415151)

      How the fuck is this modded troll? At worst, this is a -1 disagree... even though this really ought to be a Disagree

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 17 2016, @02:59PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 17 2016, @02:59PM (#415209)
      You missed on #2, which is actually "Clinton becoming president."
      • (Score: 2) by driverless on Monday October 17 2016, @11:06PM

        by driverless (4770) on Monday October 17 2016, @11:06PM (#415457)

        You missed on #2, which is actually "Clinton becoming president."

        Yeah, good point. Mind you the Trump thing was just a joke entry, the rest (medical + accidents) are actual risks, in order.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 17 2016, @04:42AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 17 2016, @04:42AM (#415092)

    But they all float out there. Don't you like flying?

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 17 2016, @05:24AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 17 2016, @05:24AM (#415104)

    The clowns are running for president.