Survey: What Americans fear the most

WASHINGTON — Move over, boogie man and haunted houses — a new study is identifying what Americans fear the most, and it’s a common occurrence.

A survey from Chapman University found that the No. 1 fear in America is walking alone at night.

Of the 1,500 people surveyed, more than 20 percent said they don’t feel safe “at all” walking alone at night. More than 35 percent said they only feel “somewhat safe.”

The survey found the top five things Americans fear:

1. Walking alone at night
2. Becoming the victim of identity theft
3. Staying safe on the Internet
4. Being the victim of a mass/random shooting
5. Public speaking

“What initially lead us into this line of research was our desire to capture this information on a year-over-year basis so we can draw comparisons with what items are increasing in fear as well as decreasing,” Christopher Bader, who led the survey, said in a news release. The survey polled participants from across the nation and all walks of life.

The survey distinguished between Americans’ fears and worries.

The top five things about which Americans worry or are concerned:

1. Having identity stolen on the Internet
2. Corporate surveillance of Internet activity
3. Running out of money in the future
4. Government surveillance of Internet activity
5. Becoming ill/sick

It wasn’t just general fears and concerns that researchers studied in the first-ever Chapman Survey on American Fears. The survey evaluated other categories such as crime, natural disasters and fear factors.

Fears of Crime

Statistical data from police and FBI records show crime has decreased in America in the past 20 years — but participants’ fears didn’t reflect that, researchers say.

“What we found when we asked a series of questions pertaining to fears of various crimes is that a majority of Americans not only fear crimes such as child abduction, gang violence, sexual assaults and others; but they also believe these crimes (and others) have increased over the past 20 years,” said Edward Day, who led the crime portion of the research and analysis.

Some of the main crime-related fears people expressed include child abduction, gang violence, human trafficking, mass riots, pedophilia, school shootings, serial killing and sexual assault.

Fear of a Natural Disaster

Natural disasters can be unpredictable and destructive, which rouses fear in many Americans.

The survey found Americans’ most-feared natural disasters included the following:

1. Tornados/hurricanes
2. Earthquakes
3. Floods
4. Pandemics or major epidemics
5. Power outages

Researchers include the D.C. area in the southern region of the United States. In the South, most people — 44 percent — said they feared tornadoes and hurricanes. Floods came in at No. 2 with 38 percent.

The findings showed that despite widespread fear, the vast majority of those surveyed do not have emergency kits — even in regions hardest hit by natural disasters.

In the South, more than 73 percent of respondents said they didn’t have an emergency kit.

What Scares People?

The survey looked at why people are afraid of certain things and found some correlations. Most notably, they found having a lower level of education and also high frequency of TV viewing were consistent predictors of fear.

Those who watched talk shows on TV were more prone to have fears involving personal safety, their future finances and health, criminal victimization and phobias such as a fear of clones, heights and blood.

Crime shows, in particular, led to higher levels of fear about the youth of today, man-made disasters such as terrorist attacks and more.

Having a lower level of education, such as having only a high school diploma, a GED or less, was the most consistent predictor of fear. Those with less education showed more fears involving the government, immigration and their futures.

Watch a video with researchers explaining the survey:

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