Boo! Here’s what South Carolinians are most afraid of, report says
If you get spooked out at night, you aren’t alone.
South Carolinians are most afraid of the dark — and it’s not the only state where people are reaching for their night lights, a new report finds.
The dark was also the biggest fear of residents of Colorado, Oregon and New Jersey, according to internet search findings from safety equipment provider yourlocalsecurity.com.
Though the darkness might creep people out, many phobias were tied to the craziness of 2020.
Nationwide, being scared of other people was most common — likely due to isolation from the coronavirus pandemic, according to the report.
“Anthropophobia, the fear of people, made up 22% of all phobia search volume — making it the most-searched fear in the United States,” the report said. “Search volume for anthropophobia increased by five times since 2019.”
Similarly, flying in airplanes and being alone gave more people the heebie jeebies this year, findings show. The travel industry has struggled as health experts recommend people stay close to home to help avoid spreading COVID-19.
To come up with its findings, yourlocalsecurity.com said it checked the 15 most-Googled phobia searches from August 2018 to August 2019. Analysts also examined three new phrases that start with “fear of,” results show.
Across the country, other states’ top fears include blood, clowns, failure, germs or viruses, heights, holes, intimacy, needles, outside, public speaking, snakes, spiders and social media, results show.
On its website, yourlocalsecurity.com calls itself an “authorized provider” of ADT safety systems.
