We live in frightening times.
Wars in Ukraine and Gaza could spread, the polar ice caps may melt, and even some scientists developing artificial intelligence systems are worried about unleashing a monster.
But those fears all pale in comparison to what’s really giving Americans the creeps.
This is evident from a national survey Ipsos survey of more than 1,000 American adults.
The disaster that worries them most is a total economic collapse in the US.
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An economic crisis is the biggest fear for a third of respondents.
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Only 9 percent of them live blissfully unfazed by any of the apocalyptic scenarios.
Ipsos pollster Kevin Hung said Americans are “extremely concerned about the economy.”
That’s “despite recent positive economic indicators such as lower inflation and unemployment rates,” he added.
Yet it is not all good news.
The blue-chip Dow and the S&P 500 are heading for weekly losses on Friday.
Americans have seen their savings and 401k pots fluctuate in value in recent months.
Last year, the collapses of Signature Bank and Silicon Valley Bank seemed likely to culminate in a broader collapse.
And shoppers spend as much as $6 on a dozen eggs that cost barely a dollar in 2000.
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Greg Gwiasda, another pollster, said the economy is a top priority because it is constantly in the news — and most of it is bad news.
“People can therefore quickly and easily recall economic stories – usually negative ones – and conclude that they must be more likely,” he added.
For Republican voters, it’s even more real, and the biggest concern for nearly half of them.
For them, the looming economic crash is more “a testament to President Joe Biden’s failed economic policies,” Gwiasda added.
Voters of all stripes are alarmed by the Third World War, with a quarter of respondents citing it as their biggest concern.
There are many reasons to fear that a large-scale conflict is imminent.
Russia has been pushing into Ukraine since annexing Crimea in 2014. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has reportedly identified 2027 as a likely year to retake his self-governing province of Taiwan.
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Meanwhile, Israel’s attack on Gaza militants could spiral into a broader conflict with Iran.
Climate change came in third, with 19 percent of respondents citing planet-warming gases as their biggest concern.
That’s no surprise, considering there were a record 28 weather- and climate-related tragedies in 2023, each costing more than $1 billion.
These included the wildfires that devastated Lahaina on Maui Island and the epic floods in California.
Yet, according to Gwiasda, such tragedies are a ‘lesser storyline’ and people ‘no longer pay as much attention to them’.
For example, only 6 percent of Republicans say global warming is their biggest concern.
Many Americans, known as survivalists or preppers, have filled their basements, ready for an economic implosion or some other doomsday scenario
And while the COVID-19 outbreak that claimed seven million lives worldwide is in the rearview mirror, 12 percent of Americans say another pandemic is their biggest concern.
The doomsday scenario that Americans are least concerned about is killer robots, the survey found.
Only 2 percent of them mentioned deadly machines as a concern, even though they keep some scientists up at night.
Last month, more than 1,000 technology leaders and researchers, including Elon Musk, called for a pause in research into advanced artificial intelligence systems.
In an open letter, they warned that AI tools pose “profound risks to society and humanity.”
The Ipsos survey of 1,082 American adults was conducted earlier this month.