Chapman University has conducted a Survey of American Fears for more than three years. It asks 1,500 adults what they fear most. It organizes the fears into categories that include personal fears, conspiracy theories, terrorism, natural disasters, paranormal fears, and more recently, fear of Muslims.
WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT
Expect to hear more about security threats and fears in the coming years. In the digital world, I suggest that there is a "hierarchy of digital needs" (see the pyramid of digital needs fmcs.digital/blog/pyramid-of-digital-needs/) and that if we do not feel secure in the digital world, we will not be able to leverage the different tools and solutions available to us. In fact, the research shows that our fears are exacerbated when we are not in control, which is the case for most people as they do not fully understand digital technologies (layer 1 in the pyramid) and do not feel secure (layer 2).
"...many things affect how we perceive risk:
“Most people do not distinguish well between a one-in-a-thousand risk and a one-in-a-million risk,” said Mark Egan, an associate advisor at the Behavioral Insights Group in London.