What are you afraid of?

About 1 in 10 Americans has a phobia – an intense and persistent fear of something. Common phobias include a fear of heights, small spaces, or spiders. A Mayo Clinic psychologist and someone who has a fear of contamination joined the MPR News with Angela Davis to discuss how phobias can impact the way you live and share ways to cope.

Read More
Americans' Views on Key Gun Policies Part 3: Mandating that Guns be Stored with Locks in Place

Our nonpartisan, nationally representative survey provides new information about the American public’s opinions about gun policies and behaviors among those who own guns (or live with those who do). The survey was conducted July 16 to 21, 2019, just two weeks prior to the mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, and it covered several topics. This is the third and last release from that survey; the first release covered “red flag” laws and the characteristics associated with gun ownership and the second covered respondents’ knowledge about gun-related deaths.

Read More
Americans' Views on Key Gun Policies Part 2: Knowledge of Gun-Related Deaths

Although suicides account for the majority of gun deaths in the United States—60% in the latest data—by and large American adults are unaware of this. In our survey, only one-fourth of Americans correctly answered that gun deaths by suicide outnumber deaths resulting from mass shootings, murders other than mass shootings, and accidental gun discharges. This is no better than guessing at random from among the four choices given.

Read More