Will Genius Fail? The Effect of Age, Education Level, and Race on Fear of Financial Collapse

From the fall of Long Term Capital Management in 1998 to the housing derivative bubble of 2008, financial collapses have caused catastrophe in the United States. In this paper, I examine the correlation between age, education level, race, and fear of financial collapse. Scholars have examined the correlation between age and risk aversion and the correlation between past financial collapse and stress; however, determining these factor’s effect on fear of financial collapse provides scholars and fund managers alike with important insights into what may drive the different investment mindsets. This study is conducted with data from the Chapman Survey of American Fears 2020/2021 edition, a representative national sample of United States adults. I expect younger, less-educated, and Non-White respondents to be more afraid of financial collapse. This work dissects consumer sentiment as it connects age, education level, race, and fear of economic collapse, providing scholars and finance professionals with a discussion of the causation of changing risk aversion and investment allocations during and after recessions