Providing workshops throughout communities, I’ve learned how often we are ill-prepared for any disruption from our “normal” day to day lives. This has been a year filled with natural disasters, of random shootings, accident, illness and other disruptions.
Keeping our sights on outcomes we can impact and on the many positive aspects of our lives reduces stress and maintains equilibrium as we juggle various components of daily life. “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” – Nelson Mandela
USA Today featured an article that caught my eye this week. They posted a recap of a survey Chapman University conducted for the third straight year assessing American Fears across a variety of topics. Creating awareness for ourselves about issues of interest/concern can provide the impetus to take action. A recap of this survey gives “food for thought” for today – happy reading!
Domains of Fear
There were 10 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 |
When you are ready for assistance to ensure you, your family members, employees and company are ready for anything life hands you, we are ready for you. Advanced planning at home and work serves people in measurable and profound ways.
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