On Twitter and Instagram at: @ChapmanU "We learned through this initial survey that we had to phrase the questions according to fears vs. concerns to capture the information correctly, so that is how we present it," Bader continued. 0000002376 00000 n For general feedback, use the public comments section below (please adhere to guidelines). 0000000793 00000 n Currently, the most common paranormal belief in the United States is the belief that places can be haunted by spirits with nearly half of Americans believing this. When it comes to feelings about and treatment of Muslims, nearly half of Americans reported that they would not be comfortable with a Mosque being built in their neighborhood; one-third reported that Muslims are more likely to engage in terrorism, as well as agree that the U.S. should halt all immigration from Muslim nations. Left wing extremists 28.9% 57. The 2016 survey data is organized into five basic categories: personal fears, conspiracy theories, terrorism, natural disasters, paranormal fears, and fear of Muslims. Center, Pre-Award The findings showed that despite widespread fear, the vast majority of those surveyed do not have emergency kits -- even in regions hardest hit by natural disasters. Data were collected between May 5, 2016, and May 18, 2016. Interestingly, there are clear partisan differences in views on the government's handling of terrorism with Democrats being more likely to believe government has done a good job compared with either Republicans or Independents. In 2016, the highest level of fear reported by our respondents was for corrupt government officials at 60.6%. Humanities, and Social Sciences, 4. Chapman University Americans are the most skeptical about Bigfoot, with only 16 percent of Americans expressing belief in its existence. Sheri Ledbetter The CSAF is an ongoing project, now in its ninth year. 2073 0 obj <> endobj 0000004317 00000 n Neither your address nor the recipient's address will be used for any other purpose. ), 85. Extinction of plant and animal species, American Healthcare Act/Trumpcare (55.3%), Pollution of oceans, rivers and lakes (61.6%), Not having enough money for the future (39.9%), Pollution of oceans, rivers and lakes (53.1%), Not having enough money for the future (57%), Not having enough money for the future (50.2%), People I love becoming seriously ill (56.5%), The US will be involved in another World War (48.4%), Extinction of plant and animal species (54.1%), People I love becoming seriously ill (35.9%), Global warming and climate change (53.2%), The Affordable Health Care Act/Obamacare (35.5%), 12. Slightly more than half (52 percent) believe that places can be haunted by spirits. Government use of drones within the U.S. 48. Nearly one-fourth of Americans also believe there is something suspicious about the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. However, we do not guarantee individual replies due to the high volume of messages. 50.4 percent fear for the quality of their drinking water. The survey was a random sample of 1,511 Americans who are English speaking and over the age of 18. This site uses cookies to assist with navigation, analyse your use of our services, collect data for ads personalisation and provide content from third parties. This year, for the first time, the survey included a question regarding Russia using nuclear weapons. In all cases, the clear majority of respondents were pessimistic; and in all cases Americans believe crime has at least remained steady. One-third agree or strongly agree with the statement, "In order to curb terrorism in this country, it will be necessary to give up some civil liberties." People with the highest levels of paranormal beliefs have the following traits: Roughly one percent of the U.S. adult population are Muslims. Americans fear being a victim of mass shootings, pollution and biological warfare and their fears also relate to immigration, gun control, the Jan. 6 violent attempt to overthrow of the U.S. government. This number increased to five for both 2018 and 2019, with pollution of oceans, rivers, and lakes ranking as the second highest fear for both years. Terrorist attacks 41%. Sociology Professor Christopher Bader, Associate Professor of Sociology Edward Day and Ann Gordon, an associate professor of political science oversee the collection of the annual data on the fears, worries and concerns of Americans, their personal behavior related to those fears and how the fears are associated with other attitudes and behaviors. "For a nation that touts its commitment to religious liberty, the prevalence of these beliefs should be disturbing," said Ed Day, Ph.D., chair of the department of sociology at Chapman University and one of the three researchers on this survey. Also, a greater number of women than. The results show that a large proportion of the adult American population distrusts Muslims and believes extra security should be employed against them. The comprehensive survey includes extensive background information about respondents, allowing the social scientists to study how fears vary among different groups. The Complete List of Fears, 2018 Sciences, Dodge can be found Performing Arts, Crean College of Health and Behavioral "Overall, the survey showed two-thirds of Americans believe in something paranormal, which is an increase from last year where just half of Americans reported that," said Dr. Bader. Chapman University recently completed its third annual Chapman University Survey of American Fears (2016). Learn more about Chapman University: www.chapman.edu. Please contact the Chapman Public Relations . The sample of the Chapman University Survey of American Fears mirrors the demographic characteristics of the U.S. Census. By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Privacy Policy Americans fear many natural disasters and 68 percent believe. These are among the findings of the Chapman University Survey on American Fears, which examined American fears and anxieties across a variety of topics - personal safety, the government, disasters and more. Americans tend to fear more for the health and safety of loved ones rather than their own. (2014, October 21). Simply put, the person with the highest number of paranormal beliefs in the United States as of 2017 will tend to be a lower income, female living in a rural area in the Western states. Brain Circuits for Locomotion Came Before Ingestible 'Electroceutical' Capsule Stimulates Hunger-Regulating Hormone, Cannabinoids Give Worms the Munchies, Too, Chitin from Consuming Insects Can Help Both Gut Microbiota and Global Health, Brain Circuits for Locomotion Evolved Long Before Appendages and Skeletons, Nanowire Networks Learn and Remember Like a Human Brain. It would be interesting to compare American fears vs Canadian, UK or German fears. And, when compared with the rest of the ethnic groups in the American population, whites showed significantly higher levels of Islamophobia than non-whites. Sciences, Argyros School of Business & In 2018 and 2019, all the top ten fears were held by more than half of Americans. More than half of all Americans (63 percent) believe that "natural disasters in my area are capable of doing serious harm to me or my property." The top 10 things Americans fear the most are: More than half of the respondents fear they will experience a natural or manmade disaster. Finally, there is a strong relationship between political party affiliation and anti-Muslim views--Republicans expressed the highest levels and Democrats the lowest, with independents in the middle. Note: The data shows more than 40 percent of Americans believe that places can be haunted by spirits; and more than a fourth believe that the living and the dead can communicate with each other. by Please select the most appropriate category to facilitate processing of your request, Optional (only if you want to be contacted back). More than 1,000 people across the nation were surveyed April 5-15, 2022. Chapman University Survey of American Fears "Those with Islamophobic views are more likely to be rural, male, white, older, and lacking a college education. Americans fear for the environment (#s 2, 3, 7, 8, 9), fear bad things happening to loved ones (#s 5 & 6) and worry about their finances (#s 4 and 10). Humanities, and Social Sciences, 5. Use this form if you have come across a typo, inaccuracy or would like to send an edit request for the content on this page. Who will protect women from the courts and legislatures? 0000003196 00000 n The award is conferred annually to the outstanding graduating masters and doctoral students with distinguished records of academic accomplishment, scholarship, and/or service. Your email address is used only to let the recipient know who sent the email. But Republicans weren't significantly more fearful on any of them. Administration, Post-Award As has been seen before, elevated fears over national security can lead to lower support for national values. The research team leading this effort pared. Perhaps due partly to their belief in the unbelievable, Democrats tend to be more phobia-stricken than Republicans, according to the survey. Chapman University. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily, its staff, its contributors, or its partners. The prospect of a nuclear meltdown has made 31 percent afraid or very afraid. x\o6 ]e" Imq~jK,g73l)1?,c~;w}=2W g!/j3@3"BX !b;`,~uv;xb~c?^_}Ry}5X4!%*T{N={F0=_9'L/:u:Fx"G)xa>Oh G/,9^Yei9|76VObwLQfR^%`\oCS:$Kpnb$C~ G7bu}M$qW7!@_SOhf4$}K}M4i Z9q> PpR/ 8r^XS L9;g"oqflMXRsoRa%{1h>*hV$xeEh; p!]M|vyD$%6qT#Ea;v Gbg.s(50|Q0`lxc1ssA?d1K9;\LJ&eSg"]6YVI\Y) CJB/0C4s-O8,4On#{N. by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system. startxref And as in the previous four years, the fear that our government is corrupt far exceeds all others we asked about. Undergraduate The researchers continue to improve the survey as its results and continuing interviews provide more information about fear, as well as how best to collect fear-based information. Nearly 3/4 of Americans said they are afraid or very afraid of corrupt governmental officials in 2018. 60 in U.S. News & World Report Rankings, Corrupt government officials 62.1%, People I love becoming seriously ill 60.2%, Russia using nuclear weapons 59.6%, People I love dying 58.1%, The U.S. becoming involved in another world war 56.0%, Pollution of drinking water 54.5%, Not having enough money for the future 53.7%, Economic/financial collapse 53.7%, Pollution of oceans, rivers, and lakes 52.5%, Biological warfare 51.5%. "People often fear what they cannot control," continued Dr. Bader, "and we find continued evidence of that in our top fears. Your email address is used only to let the recipient know who sent the email. by Most indicative is nearly one-third of respondents believed the government is concealing information about 'the North Dakota crash,' a theory we asked about that - to our knowledge - we made up," Dr. Bader continued. Democrats are slightly more likely to be afraid of ghosts. Please select the most appropriate category to facilitate processing of your request, Optional (only if you want to be contacted back). However, the survey data do not allow us to dig deeply into the sources of anti-Muslim prejudice. Sorted by Percent Afraid/Very Afraid We now have two years of data collected about American fears since Trumps election. The 2016 survey data is organized into five basic categories: personal fears, conspiracy theories, terrorism, natural disasters, paranormal fears, and fear of Muslims. The sample used for the Chapman University Survey of American Fears mirrors the demographic characteristics of the U.S. Census. "When communicating with the public about the importance of disaster preparedness, it is vital that the message emphasize these four beliefs. ", Dr. Gordon's work includes maps of America that breaks down the fears of natural disasters by region, which can be seen at http://www.chapman.edu/fearsurvey. Another 40 percent believe the government is hiding information about extra-terrestrials and global warming; and one-third believe there are conspiracies surrounding Obama's birth certificate and the origin of the AIDs virus. Urban residents are much less likely to distrust Muslims or support institutionalized discrimination. It would be interesting to find what percentage of Americans are very afraid of any item on this list, of two or more items etc. However, there seems to be a return towards environmental concern in the most recent survey with both pollution of oceans, rivers, and lakes and pollution of drinking water returning into the top 10 list. Second annual Survey of American Fears released, What do Americans fear? And the Chapman study notes that Republicans are indeed morelikely to express anxiety about certain topics, like immigration, the government, and "today's youth.". 0000003526 00000 n 0000007706 00000 n ", Environmental Quality Ranks among Americans' Top Fears. The 2017 survey shows that the top 10 things Americans fear the most are: 1) Corruption of government officials (same top fear as 2015 and 2016) 2) American Healthcare Act/Trumpcare (new fear) 3) Pollution of oceans, rivers and lakes (new in top 10) 4) Pollution of drinking water (new in top 10) 5) Not having enough money in the future 6) High medical bills 7) The U.S. will be involved in another world war (new fear) 8) Global warming and climate change 9) North Korea using weapons (new fear) 10) Air pollution, "The 2017 survey data shows us that while some of the top fears have remained, there has also been a pronounced shift to environmental fears," said Christopher Bader, Ph.D., professor of sociology at Chapman University, who led the team effort.