29% of Americans Are Afraid of Dying

Every year Chapman University surveys the American public about its fears, asking a representative sample of the population how afraid it is of a long list of unfortunate events, types of people, insects, animals, natural disasters, and even the paranormal. The latest survey included 95 potentially fearful things. Here are some of the more interesting fear comparisons...

• Of the 95 different fears measured, the American public is least afraid of animals. Only 5 percent of the public reports being afraid/very afraid of animals.
• 43% of the public is afraid/very afraid of white supremacists. This fear ranks 23rd among the 95 fears measured in the 2020-21 survey. Many more people are afraid of white supremacists than Black Lives Matter (15%).
• 20% of people are afraid/very afraid of murder hornets. 
• A substantial 12% of the public is afraid/very afraid of needles. Could this explain vaccine hesitancy?
• Fear of strangers grips more than one in ten Americans (11%). Perhaps these fearful people are also the ones who are afraid/very afraid of immigrants (6%).
• 9% are afraid/very afraid of whites no longer being the majority in the U.S.
• Nearly one-third of the public (31%) is afraid/very afraid of heights. About half as many (16%) are afraid of small, enclosed spaces.
• Half of Americans (49%) are afraid/very afraid of climate change.  
• Only 29% of Americans are afraid/very afraid of dying. The fear of dying ranks 53rd on the list—just  above the fear of public speaking. 

Source: Chapman University Survey of American Fears, America's Top Fears 2020/2021