Fear Factor
Americans’ top fears shifted radically last year, but you’d never guess how from what politicians and the media are prioritizing
Russia. Terrorism. Racism. Jobs.
If anyone looking to exploit Americans’ fears relied solely on headlines and politicians’ agendas for his intel, he’d be cranking out memes on those topics right now.
But he’d be focusing on the wrong things — just like most of the media and the political class.
A new study by Chapman University found that the top fears expressed by Americans in mid-2017 bore little resemblance to what they saw in the press or heard from politicians.
Five of the 12 threats that were most commonly feared fit into the category of “post-scarcity problems — ” unintended lethal by-products of our age-old drive to provide adequate food and shelter for all. They are:
- Pollution of waterways.
- Pollution of drinking water.
- Global warming/climate change.
- Air pollution.
- Extinction of plant and animal species.
Four are a sign that the drive to eliminate scarcity hasn’t yet been finalized, at least in the minds of many Americans:
- Obamacare/Trumpcare.
- Not having enough money for the future.
- High medical bills.
- Economic/financial collapse.
The other three can fit into either category, though they might best be thought of as fear of the greedy and violent:
- Corruption of government officials.
- The U.S. will be involved in another world war.
- North Korea using weapons.
Interestingly, the 2017 results differ dramatically from those in 2016.
In 2016, none of the environmental threats made it into the Top Ten. Instead, the list included “terrorist attack,” “terrorism,” “government restrictions on firearms and ammunition,” “people I love dying,” “identity theft,” and “people I love becoming seriously ill.”
I’m not sure which adage best explains that sudden shift: “Elections matter” or “Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone.”
But, regardless of the reason, it’s good to know that so many Americans are again focused on the long-term consequences of mistreating our environment.
Will the press and politicians follow their lead? Or will they stick with the most scandalous story of the day?
I fear it will be the latter.
But in today’s topsy-turvy world, I wouldn’t count on it.
