Fears are the Topic of the Day in Fridath the 13th "What Scares You?" Survey

56 PERCENT OF U.S. ADULTS ADMIT THEY’VE FEARED MONSTERS!
-- Despite Fears, Disneyland Resort in California Welcomes Monsters --

The Disneyland “What Scares You?” survey polled more than 4,000 adults (aged 18+) and 1,600 youth (aged 8 to 17) across the United States to gauge their biggest fears.

A Monster’s Haven

Disneyland’s “What Scares You?” survey found that 55 percent of youth and 43 percent of adults remember thinking that monsters were in or around their house. Where exactly? Many kids and teens thought monsters were in their closet (25 percent) or under their bed (21 percent), compared to adults who feared monsters were in their closet (20 percent) and/or under their bed (20 percent).

Who’s More Scared? Grownups or Youngsters…

The survey found that 86 percent of adults and 91 percent of youngsters admitted to being very scared of something. Nearly one-in-five adults (18 percent) also said they are scared of more things now than they were as a child. Adults admit to other scares, including snakes (38 percent), fear of heights (36 percent), watching scary movies (22 percent) and the dark (eight percent).

In addition to scary noises (42 percent), 40 percent of youngsters admit they are scared of bugs, while 39 percent say scary movies do the trick. Children also admit they are very afraid of the dark (29 percent) and being home alone (22 percent).

Robyn Spizman, co-author of “Monsters Under the Bed and Other Childhood Fears,” commented on the “What Scares You?” findings: “Childhood is a time for facing many fears. As children get older, their fears change as a result of their surroundings. Eventually, they either outgrow or overcome them and then suddenly the thought of monsters in the closet isn’t so scary anymore.”

Big Celebrity Scares

Disneyland reached out to several celebrities who revealed some of their biggest fears:

• It seems Jennifer Love Hewitt can handle the dead in her new TV drama “Ghost Whisperer,” but she better not run into any monsters! She and tennis great Serena Williams admit they are still afraid of the dark and monsters under the bed.
  
• Daniel Radcliffe may not scare easily…but when it comes to clowns, forget it. The star of “Harry Potter” says “scary” noises also give him the spooks!
  
• “Joan of Arcadia” actress Amber Tamblyn says monsters under her bed and aliens, no problem – just no crowded elevators, please!
  
• Pop singer and tween heartthrob Jesse McCartney says he doesn’t scare easily, but definitely does not want to be locked in a closet, surrounded by clowns or stranded in a deserted area with no one around.
  
• Rock star Sheryl Crow was nice enough to share her scares too – heights and hearing “scary” noises frighten her the most!
  
• He plays “Walt Lloyd” in “Lost” who’s best friend is his dog Vincent, but Malcolm David Kelley is just a good actor. In reality, he’s really scared of animals, especially large dogs and sharks!

Highlights from the National “What Scares You?” Survey

• 43 percent of adults and 55 percent of youth remember thinking monsters were in or around their house
• As children (under the age 13), 22 percent of adults were very scared of monsters under their bed and 20 percent of adults were scared of monsters in their closet
• 12 percent of children between the ages of 8 and 12 are “very scared” of monsters under their bed and/or monsters in their closet
• 45 percent of youth said they have trouble falling asleep when they are scared – 32 percent will sleep with a light on
• 42 percent of youth are scared of hearing scary noises, 40 percent are afraid of bugs and 39 percent are frightened by scary movies
• Both youths and adults who are scared of something typically remember being scared for the first time around the age of five
• 86 percent of adults and 91 percent of youth admit they’re scared of something
• 86 percent of adults say they have overcome many of their childhood fears
• 24 percent of adults remember being scared the first time by a real-life situation that happened to them, 18 percent recall a nightmare as their first scare, 14 percent said it was something they saw in a movie did it, while 13 percent said they were scared the first time by their own imagination

About the Survey

Harris Interactive fielded three online surveys on behalf of Coyne Public Relations. The first survey was conducted between November 21 and November 23, 2005 among a nationwide sample of 2,311 U.S. adults 18 years of age or older, of whom 1,962 are very scared of something. The second was conducted between November 16 and 22, 2005 among a nationwide sample of 1,602 U.S. youth ages 8-17 years, of whom 1,449 are very scared of something. The third was conducted between December 20 and 22, 2005 among a nationwide sample of 2,013 U.S. adults 18 years of age or older, of whom 996 have been afraid of monsters.

* Adults age 18 to 54