The Only Thing We Have to Fear Is…Everything? - East Idaho News

The Only Thing We Have to Fear Is…Everything?

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getty 102414 womanwalksalone?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1414145081258iStock/Thinkstock(ORANGE, Calif.) — Land of the free…home of the brave? Not, if a new survey from Chapman University can be believed.

Researchers conducted a poll of 1,500 people on what Americans are scared of and judging by the results, our fears are many and cover a lot of ground.

For instance, when asked what they feared most, Americans listed in this order:

  1. Walking alone at night
  2. Becoming the victim of identity theft
  3. Safety on the Internet
  4. Being the victim of a mass/random shooting
  5. Public speaking

Perhaps not as intense as genuine fear, next came things people are most worried or concerned about:

  1. Having identity stolen on the Internet
  2. Corporate surveillance of Internet activity
  3. Running out of money in the future
  4. Government surveillance of Internet activity
  5. Becoming ill/sick

Then, of course, there are things completely out of our hands, such as natural disasters. The most feared are:

  1. Tornado/hurricane
  2. Earthquakes
  3. Floods
  4. Pandemic or major epidemic
  5. Power outage

Meanwhile, everyone’s worried about crime and a majority believe that things have grown worse over the last 20 years even though FBI and police statistics show most crime categories have declined over the past two decades.


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