| After 7 years of the progressive (liberal) administration of President Obama, and the abject failure of traditional news media to hold the administration accountable, Americans now fear the corruption of government officials more than any other worldly fear. More than 60% of the 1500 respondents said they fear corrupt government officials more than terrorism. Chapman University Survey of American Fears Wilkinson College 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. |  |
| 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
| Domains of Fear: There were 11 major “domains” of fear addressed by the survey, including:
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| 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 /Man-made Disasters 41.0 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 /Man-made 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 /Man-made Disasters 32.3 Global warming and climate change /Environment 32.3 Nuclear weapons attack /Man-made 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 /Man-made 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 /Man-made Disasters 27.6 Nuclear accident/meltdown /Man-made Disasters 27.5 Random/mass shooting /Crime 26.9 Oil spills /Environment 26.8 Collapse of the electrical grid /Man-made 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 25.0 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 19.0 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 7.5 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 15.0 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 /Man-made 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 19.0 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 25.0 Large volcanic eruption /Natural Disasters 15.0 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 /Man-made Disasters 27.5 Nuclear weapons attack /Man-made Disasters 31.5 Oil spills /Environment 26.8 Others talking about you behind your back /Relationships 6.8 Pandemic or a major epidemic /Man-made 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 30.0 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 /Man-made Disasters 41.0 The Affordable Health Care Act /Obamacare /Government 35.5 The US will be involved in another World War /Man-made 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 /Man-made Disasters 27.6 Zombies /Personal Fears 10.2 |
