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The Fear Of.............. You knew that, with Halloween fast approaching, someone would talk about people's fears. Apparently, Chapman U did just that..and I found some of it surprising! (courtesy, USA Today) People are scared of a lot of things, with their biggest fears include walking alone at night, being the victim of identity theft and being a victim of a mass shooting, according to a new national survey. "The level of pessimism was astounding to us," said Christopher Bader, a sociology professor at Chapman University in California, and the lead researcher for the survey. The survey asked 1,500 people nationwide about fears and concerns across different categories, including manmade fears (like a terrorist attack), the government, natural disasters and personal fears (like Internet safety and public speaking). Top 5 personal fears: 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 Crime was rated at the high levels of fear, despite the fact that violent crime has been on the decline in the past 20 years, according to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports from 1993 to 2012. Survey respondents who reported high levels of fear in one category typically also had higher levels of fear in other categories, Bader said. Among natural disasters, respondents were most afraid of a tornado or hurricane, followed closely by earthquakes and then floods. However, the survey also found most Americans have taken little action to prepare for these disasters. |
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