From Capt. Fogg at Human Voices:
What are we so afraid of, we Americans? Everything it seems. Everything is too dangerous, nothing is nearly safe enough now that life is safer in America than it ever has been. We live longer than Americans ever have. We’re less likely do be murdered, to die in a car accident or shot in a robbery. Sure, the progress isn’t smooth and it affects us erratically, but the things certain to kill us are heart disease, Cancer, organ failure and complications of Diabetes. We’re making progress on those things, but we have Americans terrified of the very remote chance of a pressure cooker bomb but who smoke, text while driving and are 150 pounds overweight. We are now and always have been irrational creatures, reluctant and even afraid to base our actions and opinions on objectivity. On that fact are our political passions based.
A survey by Chapman University results in a list of what Americans fear most and by far, the largest concern is corrupt government officials.