America’s Top Fears 2016 Chapman University Survey of American Fears
October 11, 2016
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 |
Sorted Alphabetically
Fear | Fear Domain | % Afraid or Very Afraid |
Abduction/kidnapping | Crime | 19.5 |
Air Pollution | Environment | 20.7 |
Animals (dogs, rats, etc). | Personal Fears | 10.9 |
Becoming seriously ill | Illness and Death | 20.3 |
Becoming the victim of a property crime | Crime | 18.6 |
Becoming the victim of a violent crime | Crime | 19.4 |
Becoming unemployed | Economic | 24.6 |
Being hit by a drunk driver | Crime | 30.4 |
Biological warfare | Manmade Disasters | 34.8 |
Blood | Personal Fears | 11.7 |
Break-ins | Crime | 27.6 |
Clowns | Personal Fears | 7.8 |
Collapse of the electrical grid | Manmade Disasters | 26.2 |
Computers replacing people in the workforce | Technology | 16.6 |
Corporate tracking of personal data | Technology | 28.7 |
Corrupt government officials | Government | 60.6 |
Credit card fraud | Crime | 35.5 |
Cyber-terrorism | Technology | 30.7 |
Deep lakes and oceans | Personal Fears | 20.8 |
Devastating blizzard/winter storm | Natural Disasters | 21.8 |
Devastating drought | Natural Disasters | 23.9 |
Devastating earthquake | Natural Disasters | 22.7 |
Devastating flood | Natural Disasters | 22.2 |
Devastating hurricane | Natural Disasters | 23.3 |
Devastating tornado | Natural Disasters | 29.7 |
Dying | Illness and Death | 19 |
Economic/financial collapse | Economic | 37.5 |
Extinction of plant and animal species | Environment | 27.9 |
Financial fraud (such as a Ponzi scheme, embezzlement, etc.) | Crime | 21.5 |
Flying | Personal Fears | 12.1 |
Gang violence | Crime | 21.1 |
Germs | Personal Fears | 14.9 |
Ghosts | Personal Fears | 8.9 |
Global warming and climate change | Environment | 32.3 |
Government restrictions on firearms and ammunition | Government | 38.5 |
Government tracking of personal data | Technology | 33.1 |
Government use of drones within the US | Government | 21.7 |
Heights | Personal Fears | 24.5 |
High medical bills | Illness and Death | 33.1 |
Identity theft | Crime | 37.1 |
Illegal immigration | Immigration/Demographic change | 23.8 |
Insects/arachnids | Personal Fears | 25 |
Large volcanic eruption | Natural Disasters | 15 |
Losing my data, photos or other important documents in a disaster | Natural Disasters | 25.2 |
Mugging | Crime | 21.3 |
Murder by a stranger | Crime | 21.9 |
Murder by someone you know | Crime | 17.5 |
Needles | Personal Fears | 16.7 |
Not having enough money for the future | Economic | 39.9 |
Nuclear accident/meltdown | Manmade Disasters | 27.5 |
Nuclear weapons attack | Manmade Disasters | 31.5 |
Oil spills | Environment | 26.8 |
Others talking about you behind your back | Relationships | 6.8 |
Pandemic or a major epidemic | Manmade Disasters | 29.3 |
People I love becoming seriously ill | Illness and Death | 35.9 |
People I love dying | Illness and Death | 38.1 |
Police brutality | Crime | 19.6 |
Pollution of drinking water | Environment | 27.9 |
Pollution of oceans, rivers and lakes | Environment | 30 |
Public speaking | Personal Fears | 25.9 |
Racial/hate crime | Crime | 19.9 |
Random/mass shooting | Crime | 26.9 |
Reptiles | Personal Fears | 33.2 |
Sexual assault by a stranger | Crime | 21.5 |
Sexual assault by someone you know | Crime | 18.1 |
Significant other cheating on you | Relationships | 10.2 |
Small enclosed spaces | Personal Fears | 16.8 |
Stalking | Crime | 17.4 |
Strangers | Personal Fears | 9.8 |
Technology I don’t understand | Technology | 15.7 |
Terrorism | Crime | 38.5 |
Terrorist Attack | Manmade Disasters | 41 |
The Affordable Health Care Act/Obamacare | Government | 35.5 |
The US will be involved in another World War | Manmade Disasters | 32.3 |
Theft of property | Crime | 25.5 |
Walking alone at night | Crime | 21.1 |
Whites no longer being the majority in the US | Immigration/Demographic change | 17.9 |
Widespread civil unrest | Manmade Disasters | 27.6 |
Zombies | Personal Fears | 10.2 |