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)
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 16 2016, @08:57PM
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"?
(Score: 3, Informative) by takyon on Sunday October 16 2016, @09:01PM
I checked the PDF [chapman.edu]. They are trending up.
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 16 2016, @09:20PM
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
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
You should be proud of the level of cynicism.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 16 2016, @09:45PM
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
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
He gives big kids nightmares too.
(Score: 3, Troll) by driverless on Monday October 17 2016, @02:50AM
It actually shows how out-of-touch most people are with real risks. The actual list of threats is, in order:
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
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
(Score: 2) by driverless on Monday October 17 2016, @11:06PM
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
But they all float out there. Don't you like flying?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 17 2016, @05:24AM
The clowns are running for president.