Fear of flying has become significantly less prevalent over the past 30 years, with those who are afraid telling researchers that their concerns center primarily around turbulence, unknown sounds and terrorist attacks.1
A report in the April issue of Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance cited surveys administered in Norway in 1986 and again in 2014–2015 that found the prevalence of “an assumed flight phobia” decreased from 8.1 percent of respondents in 1986 to 3.4 percent in 2015.
Flight anxiety exists at several levels, “from apprehension to complete phobia,” the report said, and it cited earlier surveys that have singled out a fear of flying as one of the top 10 fears expressed by people today. Fear of flying affects about 6.5 percent of the world population, and, in some industrialized countries, studies have found that up to 40 percent of the population may experience some degree of flight phobia, the report said. Despite fear, other data show …
