The Chapman University Survey of American Fears Wave 3 (2016) provides an unprecedented look into the fears of average Americans. In April of 2016, a random sample of 1,511 adults from across the United States were asked their level of fear about 79 different fears across a huge variety of topics ranging from crime, the government, disasters, personal anxieties, technology and many others.

Domains of Fear

There were 11 major “domains” of fear addressed by the survey, including:

Fear Domain Types of Questions Included Crime Murder, rape, theft, burglary, fraud, identity theft Economic Not having enough money for the future, becoming unemployed, etc. Environment Global warming, overpopulation, pollution Government Government corruption, Obamacare, drones, gun control, etc. Illness and Death High medical bills, becoming ill, dying Immigration/Demographic Changes Illegal immigration, whites no longer being majority in US Man-Made Disasters Bio-warfare, terrorism, nuclear attacks Natural Disasters Earthquakes, droughts, floods, hurricanes Personal Fears Tight spaces, public speaking, clowns, vaccines Relationships Significant other cheating, others talking about you behind your back Technology Artificial intelligence, robots, cyber-terrorism

Top 10 Fears of 2016

Below is a list of the 10 fears for which the highest percentage of Americans reported being “Afraid,” or “Very Afraid.”

Fear Fear Domain % Afraid or Very Afraid Corrupt government officials Government 60.6 Terrorist Attack Manmade Disasters 41 Not having enough money for the future Economic 39.9 Terrorism Crime 38.5 Government restrictions on firearms and ammunition Government 38.5 People I love dying Illness and Death 38.1 Economic/financial collapse Economic 37.5 Identity theft Crime 37.1 People I love becoming seriously ill Illness and Death 35.9 The Affordable Health Care Act/Obamacare Government 35.5

The Complete List of Fears, 2016

The following is a complete, list of all of the fears addressed by the Chapman University Survey of American Fears Wave 3 (2016), including the percent of Americans who reported being afraid or very afraid.

Sorted by Percent Afraid/Very Afraid

Fear Fear Domain % Afraid or Very Afraid Corrupt government officials Government 60.6 Terrorist Attack Manmade Disasters 41 Not having enough money for the future Economic 39.9 Terrorism Crime 38.5 Government restrictions on firearms and ammunition Government 38.5 People I love dying Illness and Death 38.1 Economic/financial collapse Economic 37.5 Identity theft Crime 37.1 People I love becoming seriously ill Illness and Death 35.9 The Affordable Health Care Act/Obamacare Government 35.5 Credit card fraud Crime 35.5 Biological warfare Manmade Disasters 34.8 Reptiles Personal Fears 33.2 Government tracking of personal data Technology 33.1 High medical bills Illness and Death 33.1 The US will be involved in another World War Manmade Disasters 32.3 Global warming and climate change Environment 32.3 Nuclear weapons attack Manmade Disasters 31.5 Cyber-terrorism Technology 30.7 Being hit by a drunk driver Crime 30.4 Pollution of oceans, rivers and lakes Environment 30 Devastating tornado Natural Disasters 29.7 Pandemic or a major epidemic Manmade Disasters 29.3 Corporate tracking of personal data Technology 28.7 Extinction of plant and animal species Environment 27.9 Pollution of drinking water Environment 27.9 Break-ins Crime 27.6 Widespread civil unrest Manmade Disasters 27.6 Nuclear accident/meltdown Manmade Disasters 27.5 Random/mass shooting Crime 26.9 Oil spills Environment 26.8 Collapse of the electrical grid Manmade Disasters 26.2 Public speaking Personal Fears 25.9 Theft of property Crime 25.5 Losing my data, photos or other important documents in a disaster Natural Disasters 25.2 Insects/arachnids Personal Fears 25 Becoming unemployed Economic 24.6 Heights Personal Fears 24.5 Devastating drought Natural Disasters 23.9 Illegal immigration Immigration/Demographic change 23.8 Devastating hurricane Natural Disasters 23.3 Devastating earthquake Natural Disasters 22.7 Devastating flood Natural Disasters 22.2 Murder by a stranger Crime 21.9 Devastating blizzard/winter storm Natural Disasters 21.8 Government use of drones within the US Government 21.7 Financial fraud (such as a Ponzi scheme, embezzlement, etc.) Crime 21.5 Sexual assault by a stranger Crime 21.5 Mugging Crime 21.3 Gang violence Crime 21.1 Walking alone at night Crime 21.1 Deep lakes and oceans Personal Fears 20.8 Air Pollution Environment 20.7 Becoming seriously ill Illness and Death 20.3 Racial/hate crime Crime 19.9 Police brutality Crime 19.6 Abduction/kidnapping Crime 19.5 Becoming the victim of a violent crime Crime 19.4 Dying Illness and Death 19 Becoming the victim of a property crime Crime 18.6 Sexual assault by someone you know Crime 18.1 Whites no longer being the majority in the US Immigration/Demographic change 17.9 Murder by someone you know Crime 17.5 Stalking Crime 17.4 Small enclosed spaces Personal Fears 16.8 Needles Personal Fears 16.7 Computers replacing people in the workforce Technology 16.6 Technology I don’t understand Technology 15.7 Large volcanic eruption Natural Disasters 15 Germs Personal Fears 14.9 Flying Personal Fears 12.1 Blood Personal Fears 11.7 Animals (dogs, rats, etc). Personal Fears 10.9 Significant other cheating on you Relationships 10.2 Zombies Personal Fears 10.2 Strangers Personal Fears 9.8 Ghosts Personal Fears 8.9 Clowns Personal Fears 7.8 Others talking about you behind your back Relationships 6.8





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