Why do Americans Fear Terror Attacks More Than the Death of a Loved One?

The 21st century has brought with it several instances of domestic and foreign terrorism on the United States. In the post-9/11 world, the general fear of terrorism and the various sources of terror that fall beneath this umbrella term have ballooned to the point of being one of the most prevalent fears in American society during the completion of the 2016 Chapman Survey of American Fears. While it is important to note that significant events such as the rise of ISIS, the Paris and Brussels Attacks, the Pulse Nightclub shooting, and the 2016 Presidential campaign have left individuals among the general population with an increased measure of fear, this article intends to, among other things, show that certain demographics have been left with an outstanding fear that does not warrant a proper reaction to the data on these attacks. This outstanding fear has led to a less cohesive American society, less civic engagement, more political divisiveness, and more ineffective policy-making from the federal government. In this paper, I examine the root identifying factors and causes of this fear among Americans, in an effort to provide updated research-backed conclusions that can give readers options to more effectively combat this problematic amount of fear, that carries with it only negative consequences. Using data from the 2016 Chapman Survey of American Fears, which concluded that terror-related fears were 2 of the top 5 in America, this article will identify, through a series of hypotheses, several explanations for determining who is most subject to this fear and why. More specifically, the article examines not only the general fear of terrorism in America, but also the fear of international terror groups, domestic terror incidents, and cyber-terrorism. This data will help me to conclude that factors such as political orientation, media consumption habits, geographic location, and trust in government effectiveness all contribute to the degree to which this fear is relevant to the respondents in this survey, representing the larger population in America. Although the total elimination of this fear is unrealistic and, quite frankly, not ideal, this article aims to identify the causes and suggest options to reduce the amount of impending fear that Americans experience on a daily basis in hopes that the citizens of this country can redirect their fears more productively, while building trust in our government and participation in civic engagement.