The idea behind this research is to help people understand the basic psychology behind their fears relating to global issues and to give advice on how to try and lessen any related anxiety.
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We’re explaining why people feel threatened by global issues in order to help them think about their worries rationally. People need to question whether or not global issues are truly affecting their lives in a negative way. This will enable people to protect themselves against worry. Often the perceived fear of any threat is much worse than the actual threat.
As the general public knows, for many years political parties have used fear as a tool to gain support for their policies. The truth is that it isn’t always good for society’s mental health. People should not feel guilty about looking after their mental health and that sometimes means getting on with daily life and not taking too much notice of current affairs.
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No. It is positive to acknowledge feelings of worry because then people can work on trying to reduce them. It is better to get people talking to others about their worries – it can help people to question whether or not their concerns are rational.
Yes, people in Britain have always faced global issues, such as war. But people are now facing a new set of issues and all at the same time. Also, there has been a media explosion and that means that we are bombarded with messages and images in the news every minute of every day. It is therefore not surprising that people say that their mental health is being affected.
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Yes, it is – because there is a danger that adults who continually live for the moment will be unfulfilled later on in life. The foundations for good mental health are not often found in activities normally associated with living for the moment. Genuine satisfaction and contentment is commonly experienced when people have happy relationships with family and friends, good physical health and security.
There are a number of reasons why some adults choose not to have children, but if anxiety about global issues is holding a person back then there is a risk that they will be unsatisfied with life in the long run. People should try not to let worry about global issues get to them too much.
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Humans are very frightened by dangers from other humans that are intentional, which explains why people who took part in this survey say that terrorism is the global issue they’re most worried about.
One explanation as to why immigration causes worry is because people feel secure and comfortable in the company of others who share the same beliefs and act in a similar kind of way. Some people feel threatened and anxious when they encounter people from other countries - who are often different culturally, and in the way that they look and behave - because they feel scared.
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People tend not to register climate change as a threat. Despite a growing body of scientific evidence on the subject, it doesn’t leave people thinking they’re at risk because the factual data and information doesn’t reach the feeling part of the brain, which is where humans sense danger.
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Obviously immigration does present challenges that society has to address. But some will be surprised that immigration is a worry for so many people because there is much evidence to suggest that immigration, rather than posing any real threat, actually boosts our economy and enriches our communities. Lots of people from different cultures live peacefully together in many parts of Britain.
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No, there are no significant differences - the feeling is more or less consistent across all age brackets.
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Yes, but only by 2%. The results show that 16% of men say that global issues leave them feeling reluctant to have children, in comparison to 14% of women.
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