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Here's What Actually Scares Americans About the Future

Most Americans are worried the nation will turn into a dystopian hellscape, study says.
Image: Darryl Darwent/Flickr

Right now, the average American is apparently more afraid of walking home alone at night than anything else. That's according to a study that is being billed as "the most comprehensive survey of what strikes fear in Americans." A bit down the line, however, we worry about slightly bigger things—the researchers found huge majorities worry about societal collapse and World War III.

Researchers from Chapman University asked 1,500 random Americans dozens of questions about their concerns as part of what they say will become an annual study on American fear. The inaugural survey is making headlines for pinpointing our irrational fear of after-dark strolls—the researchers themselves note that our fear of crime has held steady despite a precipitous decline in actual crimes committed over the last couple of decades. But it also maps our fears of the near-and-far future, too.

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Essentially, we're afraid of everything. From sensible, scientifically documented threats like climate change, to centuries-old faith-based worries about the End Times; you name the dystopian scenario, and millions of Americans are afraid of it coming to pass.

For starters, 35.9 percent of Americans find it either 'Very Likely' or 'Fairly Likely' that the biblical Armageddon will come to pass. That's far fewer than the number of people who fear that we're going to run out of oil—56.9 percent of us think we're going to "exhaust the Earth's oil supply."

Meanwhile, 74.2 percent fear the US will "be involved in another World War" in the next 25 years. Nearly 67 percent worry about mass civil unrest, and 59.8 percent of Americans worry the government will use drones for ill inside the US. Just shy of 66 percent fear the US will "decline" and no longer be a superpower, and 73 percent worry we'll see a "pandemic or major epidemic" sweep the nation by 2040—and this survey was conducted largely before the Ebola scare.

Eighty-three percent worry we'll soon see another economic collapse. And, in a finding that reflects the public's growing understanding of climate change—and the discrediting and decline of the climate denial movement—over 80 percent of Americans report being worried about climate change. It also confirmed that a majority of Americans believed it was our fault: over 59 percent agreed that "Global climate change is occurring and is significantly accelerated by human activities and pollution."

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Unsurprisingly, they're also concerned about natural disasters, many of which are exacerbated by climate change. Today, America's most feared natural disasters are as follows: hurricanes and tornadoes (40 percent worry about them), earthquakes (36 percent), and floods (34 percent).

Now contrast all of the above with what we're most afraid of on a daily basis:

  • Walking alone at night
  • Becoming the victim of identity theft
  • Safety on the internet
  • Being the victim of a mass/random shooting
  • Public speaking

Compared to our present-day fears, the future looks downright hellish. And we've reason to be concerned; income inequality continues to climb, Congress is making no serious effort to draw down carbon emissions, and the world is filled with worrisome conflicts that the US has shown a willingness to intervene in.

Generally the findings aren't much of a surprise—our end times-happy culture has been reflecting our gloom and disempowerment for years. There's a reason that, in America, the apocalypse is bigger than football.