The Things We Worry About

Early in my writing career I attended a writers conference in which one of the tracks was titled Advanced Article Writing. One of the classes addressed interviewing. The instructor shared many insights and provided us with tools that I used for decades, including bio sheets and a list of open-ended questions that would get people to open up and share interesting stories and feelings. One of those questions went something like this: "What do you worry about that sometimes keeps you awake at night?"

Worry is one of those things that most of us grapple with at one time or another. Out of curiosity I did an Internet search to see what we worry about today. Pretty quick I came across a list which claims to provide the most recent data on Americans' top fears, based on a survey of 1,008 adults conducted in spring 2024. 

[EdNote: Seems like a small sample size. Am curious what the breakdown is by gender and age demographics. Nevertheless, it's a good starter list of things we're anxious about.] 

Here are the top 10, ranked by the percentage of respondents who reported being "afraid" or "very afraid," along with the corresponding percentages where available. 

Corrupt Government Officials (65%) - Consistently the top fear since 2015, reflecting deep mistrust in government at all levels.

Cyberterrorism (58%) - Fear of cyberattacks, amplified by global conflicts and reliance on digital infrastructure.

Loved Ones Becoming Seriously Ill - A persistent personal concern, heightened by health-related anxieties post-COVID.

Loved Ones Dying - Closely tied to health fears, reflecting worry about losing family or friends.

Russia Using Nuclear Weapons (52.5%) - Driven by ongoing geopolitical tensions, particularly the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Not Having Enough Money for the Future - Economic insecurity, rising from 10th in 2023, fueled by inflation and financial uncertainty.

U.S. Becoming Involved in Another World War (55%) - Tied to global conflicts like Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas.

North Korea Using Nuclear Weapons - Fear of nuclear threats from rogue states, reflecting global instability.

Terrorist Attacks - Persistent concern, with 52.7% fearing attacks, linked to recent world events.

Biological Warfare - Anxiety about biological weapons, re-emerging in the 10 due to global tensions.

Noteworthy Observations:

• All top 10 fears in 2024 were reported by over 50% of respondents, indicating a general rise in fear compared to earlier years when only the top fear exceeded this threshold.
• Six of the top 10 fears relate to war or terrorism, reflecting the impact of global conflicts like Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas. [EdNote: And perhaps the way the media covers them.]
• Economic concerns, such as running out of money, have climbed due to inflation and post-pandemic recovery challenges.
• Climate change, while significant (49% afraid or very afraid), did not make the top 10 but remains a consistent concern.
• Fears like ghosts (10.6%) or snakes (around 30% per earlier surveys) rank much lower, showing that political, global, and personal health fears dominate over traditional phobias.

Many, if not most, of these fears are shaped by current events, media consumption, and social media algorithms that amplify anxieties, according to Chapman researchers. For the full list that this data was taken from, you can visit the Chapman University Survey of American Fears 2024.  

Related Lists

From a psychological health care blog: 
Top Things People Worry About

From a CBD site: What are the top 10 things people worry about?

When I look at this list, it's of a very different character.

Money and finances

Health and safety of loved ones

Job and career worries

Relationship problems

Anxiety and depression

Appearance and weight worries

World events and politics

Covid-19 and pandemic worries

Sleep problems

Death and dying

 

What do you worry about that sometimes keeps you awake at night?

Scary Realities

A few years ago, I received an unwelcome email from Ohio University, my Alma Mater. Evidently, a hard drive with information about every student from way back whenever was improperly disposed of. My records, including Social Security number and other personal data, happened to have been on this hard drive.

If I recall correctly, the school did take action. (A) They notified us, the potential identity theft victims, and (B) they fired two IT personnel, as if that would somehow help prevent my future identity theft should this info get into the wrong hands.

I graduated Ohio University in 1974. The incident, three decades later, is a somewhat unnerving reminder of how vulnerable we are. How many people have your personal data? How many schools have you attended, places where you have worked, banks that you have done business with, mortgage lenders, hotels that you have stayed at, etc. The list is probably long.

So today, I received a letter from an investment firm through whom I purchased stock securities in the late 1980’s and early nineties. In February of this year one of their boxes of backup tapes of data was evidently missing. The missing tapes contained… guess what? … “certain personal information, such as your name, address, Social Security number and/or shareholder account information.”

Hmmm.

So, they are offering twelve months of “free credit monitoring.” Great… like then what? In thirteen months I will still be anxious because, frankly, though I do not lose sleep over it, I remain internally unsettled by the previous potential dispersal of my personal information four years ago.

From everything I have read, identity theft is an enormous nightmare to experience. Personally, I do not want to go through it any more than I want to catch the latest staph infection that has no remedy.

It’s all part of the game of progress, and I don’t really know the alternatives. Cash and carry has limitations that put a crimp on my style. I dislike shopping, and all those goods that get delivered to my door with a handful of mouseclicks is so pleasing. But… then again… I sure don’t like the way this letter from Shareholder Services is making me feel.

How does it make you feel? Am I overreacting to imaginary boogeymen, or are these really scary realities?