Chapman study shows how American fear continues to grow in 2018
Chapman University’s Survey of American Fears was released Wednesday, Oct. 17. The 2018 edition of the study, conducted in June and July, shows that each of the top 10 fears are held by more than half of the population. The top fear, corrupt government officials, has increased in Americans by 13 percent since 2016.
The annual Chapman University Survey of American Fears asks about 94 topics ranging from government, health and environmental matters, to disaster preparedness, the paranormal and personal anxieties. The top 10 fears for the last five years are listed on the right. The study had 1,190 participants with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percent.
Related: 74 percent of Americans fear government corruption, 35 percent fear space aliens on Earth, a Chapman study says
Fears for years
For the fourth consecutive year, respondents listed corrupt government officials as their primary source of fear.
Source: Chapman University
Disaster preparedness
In the 2018 study five of the top 10 fears were environmental concerns, compared to no environmental concerns in 2016. In this year’s study one in five reported that they have had to flee their homes due to disaster but many chose to not to leave. Here’s a look at the reasons why:
Source: Chapman University
Paranormal beliefs
The study found that nearly 75.9 percent of Americans have at least one paranormal belief. There were slight increases in all categories from 2017 to 2018.
Common traits
A 2015 article in Psychology Today by Karl Albrecht says there are only five fears all humans have in common. Which of the fears below is not one of them?
- Extinction
- Mutilation
- Loss of Autonomy (being immobilized)
- Separation (abandonment)
- Ego-death (humiliation)
Political differences
Results of a 2014 survey by the Pew Research Center showed that people have different fears by political affiliation. The survey asked: “Which one of these poses the greatest threat to the world?”
