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Numbers in the News: Phobias
What scares people? Take a look at these frightening facts and figures.
SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
19.3%
The percentage of kids age 13 to 18 in the U.S. with a phobia, or intense fear of something that poses little or no danger.
45,000
The number of known spider species—most aren't harmful to humans. Still, many people have arachnophobia, or fear of spiders.
100
The average number of times lightning strikes Earth every second. Sound scary? You might have astraphobia: the fear of thunder and lightning.
A NUMBER TOO SMALL TO CALCULATE
The chance of dying while flying. Despite this, aviophobia, or fear of flying, is extremely common.
THINK ABOUT IT: What are you scared of? Do some research to find a statistic related to that fear. Is your fear justified or not?
SOURCES: ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA, WORLD DATA BANK, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH, NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL