Is Public Speaking Really More Feared Than Death?

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the genesis of the 1973 R. H. Bruskin Associate's American Fears study appearing in the London Sunday Times and often reported in communication textbooks as “people fear public speaking more than death,” and to replicate the study among college students who read the textbooks. Participants in a multi-section communication course (N = 815) completed the survey during the first week of class by selecting their fears from a list of fears, ranking their top fears, and completing the 6 public speaking context items of the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension–24 items. This study found that public speaking was selected more often as a common fear than any other fear, including death. However, when students were asked to select a top fear, students selected death most often. These findings help authors and instructors aptly quote the 1973 Bruskin Associate's findings, which were confirmed by this study.

Keywords:

• Bruskin Study
• Common Fear
• Fears Study
• Public Speaking Anxiety (PSA)
• Social Phobia

Notes

^a n = 815.

^b n = 374.

^c n = 417.

^d n = 2,543.

^a n = 812.

^b n = 372.

^c n = 416.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Karen Kangas Dwyer

Karen Kangas Dwyer (PhD, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, 1995) is a Professor in the School of Communication at the University of Nebraska–Omaha.

Marlina M. Davidson

Marlina M. Davidson (MA, University of Nebraska at Omaha, 2005) is a Lecturer in the School of Communication at the University of Nebraska–Omaha.