Modern fears are giving people in North West the creeps, according to new statistics

Modern fears are creeping into people’s lives, leaving them scared stiff, according to the British Heart Foundation (BHF), with nearly half (48%) of residents in the North West admitting they would sooner live with clowns than be without phone signal for a month.

The heart research charity has released the statistics to encourage people to sign up to Face a Fear this June and combat their biggest phobia by the end of July. The heart research charity found that a fear of spiders (28%) was still the North West’s biggest phobia, closely followed by a fear of heights (26%) and being scared of bees and wasps (23%).

However, more modern-day phobias are hot on their heels with around a quarter of people in the North West petrified about their phones running out of battery (26%), with the fear of sending a text to the wrong person or having no Wi-Fi coming in second place (19%), followed by having a photo taken from a bad angle or missing a flight (16%) in third.

In total, one in six (60%) of residents in the North West suffer from at least one modern fear – something the charity describes as a peril of 21st century living.

When it comes to which type of fear people would rather face, residents in the North West are split, with just over two fifths (41%) of people preferring to encounter more traditional horrors and the others preferring to brave 21st century fears (60%).

When given specific choices:

• Nearly a quarter of people (23%) admitted they would rather be locked in a room full of creepy crawlies for an hour than have no likes on their social media posts for an entire year.
• Despite spiders being the UK’s biggest fear (28%), just over two fifths (42%) of people in the North West revealed they would still rather hold a spider for an hour than have no WIFI for a month.
• Nearly a fifth of residents in the North West confessed they are scared of deep water (19%) and snakes (18%). But just as many people fear having no Wi-Fi (19%) and sending a text to the wrong person (19%).

The survey also reveals that UK-wide, modern day fears hold the biggest grip on Millennials (16-24 year-olds) with many saying they have negatively impacted their day-to-day lives. A fifth of young people lost friends (18%) and had a relationship left in tatters (18%) as a result of their modern-day phobias, such as a lack of phone battery, no access to WIFI, or sending a text to the wrong person.

It also seems women are more likely to be affected by modern fears across the UK. Women are twice as likely as men to be fearful of their phone running out of battery (26% vs 12% of men) and sending a text to the wrong person (20% versus 9% of men).

With one in seven (70%) people in the North West admitting that they want to overcome their fears, the BHF is urging residents to tackle their fears head on this July by signing up to Face a Fear and raising money for vital heart research.

Adrian Adams, head of mass participation at the BHF, said: “Whether snakes and spiders make you squirm or no phone signal and lack of WIFI gives you nightmares – take a small step, or giant leap, to conquering your biggest fear. Whatever the nail-biting experience is, by signing up to Face a Fear, you will be helping to beat heartbreak forever.

"Each year, around 18,000 lives in the North West are cut short by heart and circulatory disease, so we urgently need your support to keep more hearts beating.”

Dr Elena Touroni, clinic director at the Chelsea Psychology Clinic, added: “These statistics not only highlight that many people in the North West have phobias, but they can have a real impact on your day-to-day lives, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Face a Fear is the perfect way to join thousands of like-minded people for a fantastic cause. The BHF will be there to support you every step of the way and at the end of it, you’ll feel on top of the world.”

By taking part in Face a Fear and conquering your phobia by the end of July, you will help power ground-breaking research to bring new hope to the seven million people living with heart and circulatory disease in the UK.

Find out more at www.bhf.org.uk/fear