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Americans are used to keeping an eye out for things that go bump in the night during October, but what about the rest of the year? From small holes to public speaking, people across the country have a wide range of phobias that keep them up at night.
Whether you avoid the circus like the plague or are scared of germs (um, like the plague), you can rest assured that you’re not alone. Read on to see how your fear stacks up state by state.
| State | Phobia |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Fear of failure |
| Alaska | Fear of failure |
| Arizona | Fear of heights |
| Arkansas | Fear of heights |
| California | Fear of blood |
| Colorado | Fear of failure |
| Connecticut | Fear of the outside |
| Delaware | Fear of flying |
| District of Columbia | Fear of social media |
| Florida | Fear of blood |
| Georgia | Fear of blood |
| Hawaii | Fear of holes |
| Idaho | Fear of flying |
| Illinois | Fear of blood |
| Indiana | Fear of water |
| Iowa | Fear of intimacy |
| Kansas | Fear of Snakes |
| Kentucky | Fear of water |
| Louisiana | Fear of water |
| Maine | Fear of germs or viruses |
| Maryland | Fear of intimacy |
| Massachusetts | Fear of failure |
| Michigan | Fear of water |
| Minnesota | Fear of failure |
| Mississippi | Fear of being alone |
| Missouri | Fear of blood |
| Montana | Fear of people |
| Nebraska | Fear of failure |
| Nevada | Fear of blood |
| New Hampshire | Fear of spiders |
| New Jersey | Fear of intimacy |
| New Mexico | Fear of holes |
| New York | Fear of intimacy |
| North Carolina | Fear of water |
| North Dakota | Fear of the outside |
| Ohio | Fear of failure |
| Oklahoma | Fear of spiders |
| Oregon | Fear of water |
| Pennsylvania | Fear of water |
| Rhode Island | Fear of the dark |
| South Carolina | Fear of spiders |
| South Dakota | Fear of the outside |
| Tennessee | Fear of blood |
| Texas | Fear of blood |
| Utah | Fear of Needles |
| Vermont | Fear of failure |
| Virginia | Fear of failure |
| Washington | Fear of blood |
| West Virginia | Fear of the dark |
| Wisconsin | Fear of failure |
| Wyoming | Fear of clowns |
Freaky Findings
- Only Montana searched for “fear of humans” the most. With the state’s wide open spaces, it’s not hard for people to stay away from each other.
- Utah was the only state with “fear of needles” as the most searched fear—not to be confused with the Needles District in Utah’s Canyonlands National Park.
- 6 out of 7 states who searched “fear of water” the most border a body of water. Hurricane season probably doesn’t help these residents ease their fears!
More Fearful Facts
- “Fear of failure” is the top search in the most states in the nation, taking the #1 spot from “fear of other humans” in our 2020 report.
- “Fear of blood” topped nine states, followed closely by fear of water in seven states.
- “Fear of flying” decreased this year, from 7 states in 2020 to 2 states in 2021. Perhaps Americans are taking this fear head-on after being vaccinated for COVID-19!
Methodology
We input the top 15 terms from our 2020 report into Google Trends and reviewed search volume over the past year to determine the most searched phobia in each state. The phobias we analyzed were:
- Fear of being alone
- Fear of blood
- Fear of clowns
- Fear of failure
- Fear of flying
- Fear of heights
- Fear of holes
- Fear of intimacy
- Fear of needles
- Fear of people
- Fear of public speaking
- Fear of snakes
- Fear of spiders
- Fear of the dark
- Fear of water
- Fear of germs or viruses
- Fear of the outside
- Fear of social media
Stay Safe from All of Your Fears
No matter what you fear, your top priority is likely to be keeping you and your loved ones safe, and that’s where YourLocalSecurity.com steps in. With the ADT-monitored Panic Button, you’re just one click away from emergency help.
YourLocalSecurity.com, partner of SafeStreets—an ADT Authorized Provider—aims to provide the security tools and information needed to build a safer home environment. To request more information about this report, graphics, or any other questions, email media@yourlocalsecurity.com.
