Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Document Type

Poster

Publication Date

Fall 12-3-2025

Faculty Advisor(s)

Ann Gordon

Abstract

Imagine waking up to headlines announcing a market crash. Some picture an end to stability; others see a nonpermanent storm. What separates these reactions is far more than just perspective; it is politics. Using the 2025 Chapman Survey of American Fears, a representative sample of U.S. national adults, I will study the patterns of fears regarding economic collapse across and beyond political lines. Furthermore, I will examine how partisanship shapes perceptions of such collapse, adding layers of analysis with media and personal economic fears. My findings support the hypothesis that Democrats appear to express higher levels of concern about an economic collapse compared to Republicans, suggesting that economic anxiety is deeply united with the Democratic points of view. Additional findings explore related fears such as being unable to pay bills or being unemployed, and the relationship between media consumption (ex. CNN and Fox News), and the fear of an economic collapse. The Chapman Survey of American Fears presents a slight but statistically significant relationship between political parties, media preferences, and personal economic fears with the overall fear of economic collapse. The implication of this research lies in the demonstration that economic concerns are not equally distributed across parties, but rather are filtered through partisanship in matters that shape the debates and discourses around politics and policies that we have today. Understanding these forces is extremely important as the perceptions of a collapse may either create solutions or deepen the present divides, ultimately determining if our society will respond to the fear of crisis with resilience or division.

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Presented at the Fall 2025 Student Scholar Symposium at Chapman University.

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