The YouGov study, carried out for the Mental Health Foundation in conjunction with World Mental Health Day (Wednesday, 10th October), showed that global troubles were worrying enough to inspire 15 per cent of adults to put off starting a family.
Some 70 per cent of the 2,012 respondents admitted that terrorism was their biggest worry, while 58 per cent of those surveyed admitted to being regularly concerned by immigration.
But while one in four participants found having an electoral voice a big help in coping with their anxieties, 30 per cent were resigned to continually being worried.
Clinical psychologist Dr Michael Reddy explained why terrorism was revealed to be more of a worry than environmental concerns such as climate change.
'As social animals, we are sensitive to dangers from other humans that are intentional, such as terrorism,' he said.
'Accidental dangers, such as natural disasters, fail to motivate us in the same way.'
He added: 'Feeling a threat to one's group from an ...
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