The World’s Greatest Fears

"THE WORLD's GREATEST FEARS' Fear is a vital response to physical and emotional danger-if we didn't feel it, we couldn't protect ourselves from legitimate threats. Psychology Today TOP PERCEIVED THREATS BY CONTINENT 32% 27% 22% 34% 26% 29% Africa Middle East Asia Pollution and Europe Latin America United States Aids & Other Nuclear Religious & Ethnic Hatred Inequality Inequality Diseases Environment Weapons Source: Pew Research Centre Spring 2014 Global Attitudes Survey. Note: Russia and Ukraine excluded from the European median. 5 KEY TAKEAWAYS Inequality is the number 1 fear for Americans and Europeans. Africans are most afraid of aids and other diseases. Not surprising as it has the highest prevalence of aids in the world. More than 1 in 3 Middle Eastern people are afraid of religious and ethnic hatred. More than 1 in 4 Latin Americans are afraid of nuclear weapons. This is surprising as no Latin American state possesses nuclear weapons. More than 1 in 5 Asians rate pollution and environmental issues as the greatest threat to the world. HIGHEST LEVELS OF FEARS BY COUNTRY FEAR COUNTRY (%) Lebanon 58% Religious & Ethnic Hatred Spain 54% Inequality Japan 49% Nuclear Weapons Uganda Aids & Other Diseases Thailand and Colombia 36% Pollution & Environment Source: Pew Research Centre Spring 2014 Global Attitudes Survey. GROWTH OF GLOBAL FEARS INEGUALITY FEARS IN EUROPE AND THE US RELIOIOUS AND ETHNIC HATRED FEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST 2007 - 2014 2007 - 2014 27%+ 19%+ 18 18 18%+ 16%+ 16 14 12 12 11%+ 10 10%+ 10 8%+ 7%+ 6%+ 4 3%+ Spain Italy UK France Germany USA Lebanon Egypt Turkey Jordan Isreel Source: Pew Research Centre Spring 2014 Global Attitudes Survey. AGE AND IDEOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES There is little overall variation about the top global dangers across most countries, however these countries do show some variations: JAPAN 18-29 year olds are less concerned about the spread of nuclear weapons than those aged 50+. KENYA AND SOUTH AFRICA Young people are more concerned about aids and disease than older people. UK The ideological right of the political spectrum are more concerned about religious and ethnic hatred. The ideological left, are more concerned about inequality. US 35% of Republicans believe religious and ethnic hatred to be the top threat, compared to 15% of Democrats. 35% of Democrats believe inequality to be the top threat, compared to 21% of Republicans. Source: Pew Research Centre Spring 2014 Global Attitudes Survey. IN THE END, MARIE CURIE SAID IT BEST...... ONothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.) MARIE CURIE EASYLIFECOVER www.easylifecover.ie References http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/fear http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/fear http://www.pewglobal.org/2014/10/16/middle-easterners-see-religious-and-ethnic-hatred-as-top-global-threat/