Americans’ top fears for 2025 according to a California university survey

With Halloween only days away we re looking at the findings of Chapman University s annual survey of what scares us Related Articles Letters Our jails are no place for stun guns Transportation secretary says he will pull million from California over noncitizen truck licenses Private donors gave more than M to keep foreign aid programs going after US cuts US China Tee Up Sweeping Pact Deal for Trump Xi to Finish Milei triumphs in Argentine midterm elections closely watched by Washington The survey The goal of the Chapman University Survey of American Fears is to collect records annually on the fears worries and concerns of Americans and how those fears are associated with other attitudes and behaviors This is the th year of the survey conducted for Chapman by sector and survey research firm SSRS using a probability-based method In participants were questioned about more than fears spanning establishment conspiracy theories crime the climate the financial system personal finances artificial intelligence vitality and illness natural and human-made disasters terrorism war the paranormal and more The survey was conducted in the spring over the internet There were respondents with a margin of error of - You can read more key findings of the survey here For the second consecutive year all fears in the Top were announced by more than of respondents This is something we saw for the first time in after a pretty rapid increase across the board from stated Chapman researcher Ed Day We were sorry to see it return Anticipating a frequently petitioned question the survey group noted that fear of population speaking ranked No right before murder by a stranger No and after a devastating hurricane No Homelessness While Americans are frightened by a multitude of things and events largest part are not fearful of tent camps or homeless people They analysis low levels of fear of homeless tent camps and homeless people Surprisingly respondents were more afraid of strangers than people experiencing homelessness which represented the absolute bottom of the list of all fears announced in the survey There were specific patterns regarding political affiliation Among those reporting they were afraid or very afraid of homeless tent encampments the majority were people identifying as conservatives at with moderates at and liberals at Chapman University professors have a book available Fear Itself The Causes and Consequences of Fear in America by Christopher D Bader Joseph O Baker L Edward Day and Ann Gordon NYU Press The authors say persistent fear negatively affects decision-making abilities and causes anxiety depression and poor physical wellbeing Further fear harms communities and society by corroding social trust and civic engagement Yet politicians often effectively leverage fears to garner votes and companies routinely sector unnecessary products that promise protection from imagined or exaggerated harms Coping with fears Drawing from decades of social science research the Chapman research crew offers several strategies for managing fear in healthy and productive avenues These include Limiting screen time and media exposure to minimize alarming content Facing fears through learning and preparation which engage reason over instinct Building social connections since isolation heightens fear while district reduces it Recognizing manipulation whether in political rhetoric or consumer messaging that exploits fear to influence behavior When we step back and understand what s behind our fears we can make better decisions as individuals and as a society explained Bader Fear can motivate us but it shouldn t mislead us Our goal is to encourage thoughtful awareness not alarm When we step back and understand what s behind our fears we can make better decisions as individuals and as a society announced Dr Bader Fear can motivate us but it shouldn t mislead us Our goal is to encourage thoughtful awareness not alarm Complete list of fears with respondents who are afraid or very afraid of them Corrupt Administration Leaders People I Love Becoming Seriously Ill Economic Financial Collapse Cyber-Terrorism People I Love Dying U S Becoming Involved in Another World War Trash of Drinking Water Russia Using Nuclear Weapons Poisoning of Oceans Rivers and Lakes Regime Tracking of Personal Information Not Having Enough Money for the Future Biological Warfare Corporate Tracking of Personal Details Identity Theft Terrorist Attack North Korea Using Nuclear Weapons Artificial Intelligence AI Replacing People in the Workforce Global Warming and Weather Change Credit Card Fraud Air Toxicity Iran Using Nuclear Weapons Collapse of the Electrical Grid High Physiological Bills Widespread Civil Unrest New Pandemic or a Major Epidemic Not Having Enough Money to Pay My Rent or Mortage Being Unemployed Random Mass Shooting Extinction of Plant and Animal Species Nuclear Accident Meltdown Not Being Able to Pay Off College Debt of Myself or a Family Member Becoming Disabled Terrorism Circumstances Change Impacting Where I Live Becoming Seriously Ill Devastating Wildfire Devastating Drought Devastating Tornado Oil Spills Theft of Property Violent Overthrow of the U S Regime Devastating Flood Sharks Heights Devastating Hurricane Populace Speaking Murder by a Stranger Devastating Earthquake Regime Restrictions on Firearms and Ammunition Racial Hate Crime Sexual Assault by a Stranger Leadership Use of Drones Within the U S Dying Illegal Immigration Devastating Blizzard Winter Storm Walking Alone at Night Mechanism That I Don t Understand Small Enclosed Spaces Murder by Someone You Know Sexual Assault by Someone You Know Catching Influenza the Seasonal Flu Needles Homeless Tent Encampments Flying Strangers Whites No Longer Being the Majority in the U S Homeless People Source The Chapman University Survey of American Fears Chapman s Wilkinson College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences