With Halloween solely days away, we’re wanting on the findings of Chapman College’s annual survey of what scares us.
The surveyThe objective of the Chapman College Survey of American Fears is to gather knowledge yearly on the fears, worries and issues of People and the way these fears are related to different attitudes and behaviors. That is the eleventh 12 months of the survey, carried out for Chapman by market and survey analysis agency SSRS utilizing a probability-based technique.
In 2025, contributors had been requested about greater than 65 fears spanning authorities, conspiracy theories, crime, the atmosphere, the economic system, private funds, synthetic intelligence, well being and sickness, pure and human-made disasters, terrorism, struggle, the paranormal and extra. The survey was carried out within the spring over the web. There have been 1,015 respondents, with a margin of error of +/- 3.6%
You’ll be able to learn extra key findings of the survey right here.
For the second consecutive 12 months, all fears within the Prime 10 had been reported by greater than 50% of respondents. “That is one thing we noticed for the primary time in 2018, after a reasonably speedy enhance throughout the board from 2016,” mentioned Chapman researcher Ed Day. “We had been sorry to see it return.” Anticipating a often requested query, the survey staff famous that concern of public talking ranked No. 46 (33.7%), proper earlier than homicide by a stranger (No. 47, 33.5%) and after a devastating hurricane (No. 45, 34.1%).
Homelessness
Whereas People are frightened by many issues and occasions, most should not terrified of tent camps or homeless individuals. They report low ranges of concern of homeless tent camps (18.3%) and homeless individuals (11.9%). Surprisingly, respondents had been extra afraid of strangers (14.6%) than individuals experiencing homelessness, which represented absolutely the backside of the record of all fears reported within the survey.
There have been some patterns relating to political affiliation. Amongst these reporting they had been afraid or very afraid of homeless tent encampments, the bulk had been individuals figuring out as conservatives, at 44%, with moderates at 29% and liberals at 22%.
Chapman College professors have a e book obtainable — “Worry Itself, The Causes and Penalties of Worry in America,” by Christopher D. Bader, Joseph O. Baker, L. Edward Day and Ann Gordon (NYU Press).
The authors say persistent concern negatively impacts decision-making skills and causes anxiousness, melancholy and poor bodily well being. Additional, concern harms communities and society by corroding social belief and civic engagement. But politicians usually successfully leverage fears to garner votes, and corporations routinely market pointless merchandise that promise safety from imagined or exaggerated harms.
Dealing with fears
Drawing from many years of social science analysis, the Chapman analysis staff gives a number of methods for managing concern in wholesome and productive methods.
These embrace:
- Limiting display screen time and media publicity to attenuate alarming content material
- Dealing with fears by means of studying and preparation, which have interaction motive over intuition
- Constructing social connections, since isolation heightens concern whereas neighborhood reduces it
- Recognizing manipulation, whether or not in political rhetoric or client messaging, that exploits concern to affect habits
“After we step again and perceive what’s behind our fears, we are able to make higher choices, as people and as a society,” mentioned Bader. “Worry can inspire us, nevertheless it shouldn’t mislead us. Our objective is to encourage considerate consciousness, not alarm.”
“After we step again and perceive what’s behind our fears, we are able to make higher choices, as people and as a society,” mentioned Dr. Bader. “Worry can inspire us, nevertheless it shouldn’t mislead us. Our objective is to encourage considerate consciousness, not alarm.”
Full 2025 record of fears — with % respondents who’re afraid or very afraid of them
- Corrupt Authorities Officers 69.1
- Folks I Love Changing into Significantly Ailing 58.9
- Financial/Monetary Collapse 58.2
- Cyber-Terrorism 55.9
- Folks I Love Dying 55.3
- U.S. Changing into Concerned in One other World Warfare 55.3
- Air pollution of Ingesting Water 54.5
- Russia Utilizing Nuclear Weapons 53.7
- Air pollution of Oceans, Rivers, and Lakes 53.5
- Authorities Monitoring of Private Information 52.7
- Not Having Sufficient Cash for the Future 52.4
- Organic Warfare 52.3
- Company Monitoring of Private Information 50.7
- Identification Theft 50.7
- Terrorist Assault 49.9
- North Korea Utilizing Nuclear Weapons 49.8
- Synthetic Intelligence (AI) Changing Folks within the Workforce 49.2
- World Warming and Local weather Change 48.8
- Credit score Card Fraud 48.8
- Air Air pollution 48.3
- Iran Utilizing Nuclear Weapons 48.0
- Collapse of the Electrical Grid 47.1
- Excessive Medical Payments 46.2
- Widespread Civil Unrest 45.3
- New Pandemic or a Main Epidemic 45.2
- Not Having Sufficient Cash to Pay My Lease or Mortage 44.9
- Being Unemployed 44.6
- Random/Mass Taking pictures 44.3
- Extinction of Plant and Animal Species 43.5
- Nuclear Accident/Meltdown 43.4
- Not Being Capable of Pay Off School Debt of Myself or a Household Member 43.1
- Changing into Disabled 42.9
- Terrorism 42.0
- Local weather Change Impacting The place I Reside 41.5
- Changing into Significantly Ailing 41.2
- Devastating Wildfire 40.5
- Devastating Drought 39.0
- Devastating Twister 38.5
- Oil Spills 38.4
- Theft of Property 37.5
- Violent Overthrow of the U.S. Authorities 36.1
- Devastating Flood 35.6
- Sharks 35.2
- Heights 34.3
- Devastating Hurricane 34.1
- Public Talking 33.7
- Homicide by a Stranger 33.5
- Devastating Earthquake 33.0
- Authorities Restrictions on Firearms and Ammunition 31.7
- Racial/Hate Crime 31.3
- Sexual Assault by a Stranger 31.2
- Authorities Use of Drones Inside the U.S. 31.2
- Dying 28.6
- Unlawful Immigration 28.2
- Devastating Blizzard/Winter Storm 28.0
- Strolling Alone at Night time 27.5
- Know-how That I Don’t Perceive 25.9
- Small, Enclosed Areas 25.4
- Homicide by Somebody You Know 25.0
- Sexual Assault by Somebody You Know 22.4
- Catching Influenza (the Seasonal Flu) 19.3
- Needles 18.6
- Homeless Tent Encampments 18.3
- Flying 17.7
- Strangers 14.6
- Whites No Longer Being the Majority within the U.S. 13.0
- Homeless Folks 11.9
Supply: The Chapman College Survey of American Fears; Chapman’s Wilkinson School of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
