Americans are more afraid of corrupt government officials than terrorist attacks or economic collapse

Americas Top 10 Fears

A poll conducted by Chapman University found that Americans' greatest fear — above terrorist attacks, economic collapse, biological warfare, and more — is corrupt government officials.

Other top fears include corporate and government tracking of personal information, identity theft, running out of money in the future, and credit card fraud. Plus, nearly one in four Americans reported they've voted for at least one political candidate because they were afraid.

"The 2015 survey data shows us the top fears are heavily based in economic and 'big brother' type issues," said Christopher Bader, who organized the survey. "People often fear what they cannot control, and technology and the future of our economy are two aspects of life that Americans find very unpredictable at the moment."

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Bonnie Kristian

Bonnie Kristian was a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com. She is a columnist at Christianity Today and author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (forthcoming 2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). Her writing has also appeared at Time Magazine, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The American Conservative, among other outlets.