Here’s what Americans fear the most in 2023

Our fears and how they’ve changed

With Halloween days away, we thought we’d take a look at Chapman University’s Survey of American Fears.

The survey

The goal of the Chapman University Survey of American Fears is to collect annual data on the fears, worries and concerns of Americans, and how those fears are associated with other attitudes and behaviors. There were 97 topics, ranging from government, health and environmental matters to disaster preparedness, the paranormal and personal anxieties. This year’s survey was conducted by SSRS research online via the SSRS Opinion Panel and invited adults ages 18 and older to participate. There were 1,014 participants and the data was collected from March 27 to April 4.

Biggest fear

Skepticism of government is baked into America’s political culture and fear of corrupt government officials has remained the No. 1 fear in America since first topping the chart in 2015. However, the percentage of respondents who are very afraid or afraid of corrupt government officials has dropped from 62% in 2022. The height was 79.6% in 2020-21.

2022 and 2023

The Top 10 list is very similar to last year’s, comprising most of the same fears in varying order. The only exception is the replacement of the fear of pollution in oceans, rivers and lakes with the fear of cyberterrorism, both occupying the No. 9 position.

You can find all the fears ranked by percentage here.

Chapman University professors have a book available, which was published by NYU Press, “Fear Itself, The Causes and Consequences of Fear in America,” by Christopher D. Bader, Joseph O. Baker, L. Edward Day and Ann Gordon.

Persistent fear negatively affects individuals’ decision-making abilities and causes anxiety, depression and poor physical health. 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 market unnecessary products that promise protection from imagined or exaggerated harms.

Fear Itself is a novel, wide-ranging study of the social consequences of fear, ultimately suggesting that there is good reason to be afraid of fear itself.

Source: The Chapman University Survey of American Fears 2023, Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Pew Research Center