As evidenced during the coronavirus pandemic, how humans perceive and react to risk has significant consequences. Therefore, understanding public perceptions of global catastrophes could help the U.S. government set priorities for preparing the country and protecting it from such catastrophes (Parker, 2022).
In this brief report, we present the public’s perceptions of six categories of risk using data from a survey fielded to a nationally representative sample of 8,793 adults from the RAND American Life Panel. The results reflect respondents’ perceptions of risks posed by artificial intelligence (AI), asteroids and comets hitting Earth, severe changes to Earth’s climate, nuclear war, severe pandemics, and supervolcanoes.