With Halloween only days away, we’re looking at the findings of Chapman University’s annual survey of what scares us.
The surveyThe goal of the Chapman University Survey of American Fears is to collect data annually on the fears, worries and concerns of Americans and how those fears are associated with other attitudes and behaviors. This is the 11th year of the survey, conducted for Chapman by market and survey research firm SSRS using a probability-based method.
In 2025, participants were asked about more than 65 fears spanning government, conspiracy theories, crime, the environment, the economy, personal finances, artificial intelligence, health 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 1,015 respondents, with a margin of error of +/- 3.6%
You can read more key findings of the survey here.
For the second consecutive year, all fears in the Top 10 were reported by more than 50% of respondents. “This is something we saw for the first time in 2018, after a pretty rapid increase across the board from 2016,” said Chapman researcher Ed Day. “We were sorry to see it return.” Anticipating a frequently asked question, the survey team noted that fear of public speaking ranked No. 46 (33.7%), right before murder by a stranger (No. 47, 33.5%) and after a devastating hurricane (No. 45, 34.1%).
Homelessness
While Americans are frightened by many things and events, most are not fearful of tent camps or homeless people. They report low levels of fear of homeless tent camps (18.3%) and homeless people (11.9%). Surprisingly, respondents were more afraid of strangers (14.6%) than people experiencing homelessness, which represented the absolute bottom of the list of all fears reported in the survey.
There were some 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 44%, with moderates at 29% and liberals at 22%.
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 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.
Coping with fears
Drawing from decades of social science research, the Chapman research team offers several strategies for managing fear in healthy and productive ways.
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 community 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,” said 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,” said Dr. Bader. “Fear can motivate us, but it shouldn’t mislead us. Our goal is to encourage thoughtful awareness, not alarm.”
Complete 2025 list of fears — with % respondents who are afraid or very afraid of them
- Corrupt Government Officials 69.1
- People I Love Becoming Seriously Ill 58.9
- Economic/Financial Collapse 58.2
- Cyber-Terrorism 55.9
- People I Love Dying 55.3
- U.S. Becoming Involved in Another World War 55.3
- Pollution of Drinking Water 54.5
- Russia Using Nuclear Weapons 53.7
- Pollution of Oceans, Rivers, and Lakes 53.5
- Government Tracking of Personal Data 52.7
- Not Having Enough Money for the Future 52.4
- Biological Warfare 52.3
- Corporate Tracking of Personal Data 50.7
- Identity Theft 50.7
- Terrorist Attack 49.9
- North Korea Using Nuclear Weapons 49.8
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) Replacing People in the Workforce 49.2
- Global Warming and Climate Change 48.8
- Credit Card Fraud 48.8
- Air Pollution 48.3
- Iran Using Nuclear Weapons 48.0
- Collapse of the Electrical Grid 47.1
- High Medical Bills 46.2
- Widespread Civil Unrest 45.3
- New Pandemic or a Major Epidemic 45.2
- Not Having Enough Money to Pay My Rent or Mortage 44.9
- Being Unemployed 44.6
- Random/Mass Shooting 44.3
- Extinction of Plant and Animal Species 43.5
- Nuclear Accident/Meltdown 43.4
- Not Being Able to Pay Off College Debt of Myself or a Family Member 43.1
- Becoming Disabled 42.9
- Terrorism 42.0
- Climate Change Impacting Where I Live 41.5
- Becoming Seriously Ill 41.2
- Devastating Wildfire 40.5
- Devastating Drought 39.0
- Devastating Tornado 38.5
- Oil Spills 38.4
- Theft of Property 37.5
- Violent Overthrow of the U.S. Government 36.1
- Devastating Flood 35.6
- Sharks 35.2
- Heights 34.3
- Devastating Hurricane 34.1
- Public Speaking 33.7
- Murder by a Stranger 33.5
- Devastating Earthquake 33.0
- Government Restrictions on Firearms and Ammunition 31.7
- Racial/Hate Crime 31.3
- Sexual Assault by a Stranger 31.2
- Government Use of Drones Within the U.S. 31.2
- Dying 28.6
- Illegal Immigration 28.2
- Devastating Blizzard/Winter Storm 28.0
- Walking Alone at Night 27.5
- Technology That I Don’t Understand 25.9
- Small, Enclosed Spaces 25.4
- Murder by Someone You Know 25.0
- Sexual Assault by Someone You Know 22.4
- Catching Influenza (the Seasonal Flu) 19.3
- Needles 18.6
- Homeless Tent Encampments 18.3
- Flying 17.7
- Strangers 14.6
- Whites No Longer Being the Majority in the U.S. 13.0
- Homeless People 11.9
Source: The Chapman University Survey of American Fears; Chapman’s Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences