True crime podcasts, books, TV shows, and more have grown in popularity in recent years. With even more releases to come, it is a genre many Americans enjoy watching and reading. In fact, there have even been shows focused on the popularity of podcasts, like the “Only Murders in the Building” series starring Selena Gomez.
Both horror and true crime content have a way of leaving fans on edge. With horror, it’s the fear of a monster waiting for you down that dark alley, but true crime is a bit different. The true nature of these stories resonates because the victims are often relatable, which can make it more difficult for fans to shake those fears and forget the gruesome details they heard.
With this in mind, our team set out to determine which parts of the country are the most impacted by true crime anxiety. We surveyed Americans in every state and cities across the U.S. asking a variety of questions from how often they consume the content to how the true genre has impacted them and the safety precautions they now take. Read on to learn how your state ranked.
Key Takeaways
- Residents in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas experience the most true crime anxiety.
- Residents in New Orleans, LA, Baltimore, MD, and Las Vegas, NV, experience the most true crime anxiety.
- Nearly 1 in 2 Americans say true crime content has increased their anxiety.
- After consuming true crime content, 61% of Americans say they are more suspicious of other people.
- True crime content consumption has caused 78% of Americans to become more aware of their surroundings.
- After consuming content about true crime, 1 in 3 Americans have added to their home security.
The states where residents experience the most anxiety
For many people, the tingling sensation of fear can be thrilling. Whether that be from horror movies, suspenseful TV shows, or true crime podcasts, the genre keeps fans coming back for more, but also leaves some with anxiety.
To determine where Americans are most perturbed by true crime content, we surveyed fans across the country. Using respondents' answers, we created a true crime anxiety score and ranked each state from most to least anxious. Overall we found nearly 1 in 2 Americans say true crime content has increased their anxiety.
Leading the way with the most anxiety is Louisiana with a score of 99.0 out of 100. Our study found nearly 2 in 5 residents have started carrying self-defense tools due to their increased nervousness.
In second place with a score of 90.8 is Mississippi. Residents of the Magnolia State are the most likely in the country to have taken a break from true crime content. In addition, 1 in 5 residents say they cannot read, watch, or listen to true crime content at night due to fear.
Texas is next on our ranking with a score of 88.1, claiming the number three spot. On average, Texans consume about 6 hours of true crime content each week. They are also the second most likely, behind Louisiana residents, to be more aware of their surroundings after consuming true crime content.
TV shows, movies, and social media are the most common ways Americans consume true crime content, though there are many ways to indulge. The content, while inducing anxiety for some, may be beneficial to overall safety, as 78% of Americans have become more aware of their surroundings, and 1 in 3 have added to their home security.
The U.S. cities with the most true crime anxiety
True crime can be especially terrifying when learning of events that happened in your hometown or even the city you call home today. That’s why our team decided to dive deeper and learn which U.S. cities experience the most true crime–induced anxiety.
First up on the ranking is New Orleans, LA, with a score of 96.6 out of 100. Residents of the city are the most likely in the U.S. to share their location with friends and family for peace of mind. In addition, 1 in 2 New Orleans residents have added to their home security after consuming true crime content.
Second for anxiety is Baltimore, MD, with a score of 94.4 out of 100. Our study found 67% of residents have experienced an increase in anxiety after watching, reading, or listening to true crime stories. Residents of the city are also the most likely to have taken a break from true crime content due to anxiety.
Third on our ranking is Las Vegas, NV. The city earned a score of 85.3 as 86% of residents report becoming more aware of their surroundings. Following closely behind in fourth place is Nashville, TN, where residents are the most likely to be carrying self-defense tools after learning of true crime stories.
While lower on the overall ranking, our study found that 1 in 4 Seattle, WA, residents have stopped consuming true crime content altogether due to the anxiety they experienced.
Overall, nearly 1 in 5 Americans say they can’t consume true crime content at night due to fear. In addition, 1 in 3 people say they look at their neighbors differently as a result of what they've learned from true crime.
Conclusion
One of the biggest draws of true crime is that you can relate to victims but can’t imagine something like that happening to you. That is until you see it happen to someone else. The same could be said about your data.
You have years of photos from family vacations, hangouts with friends, milestone moments in your child’s life, and much more that you can’t imagine losing until one of your friends tells you about it happening to them. You don’t have to live in fear, however, because the team at Secure Data Recovery specializes in restoring those files to your device.
Our team of certified data recovery specialists has a 96% success rate when it comes to restoring lost data. And with our No Data, No Recovery Fee guarantee, you have nothing to fear, well perhaps outside of your favorite true crime podcast.
Methodology
In this study, we surveyed Americans in every state and multiple cities across the U.S. to determine which parts of the country have experienced anxiety due to true crime content. We asked respondents if they had experienced anxiety due to true crime, but we also asked a variety of questions to gauge the extent of that anxiety.
Questions included, have you started carrying self-defense tools after consuming true crime content, have you become more suspicious of other people due to true crime content, have you ever taken a break or fully stopped consuming true crime content, and more.
We then awarded points to answers that represented anxiety or careful actions taken after consuming true crime content. We calculated the average score for each state and city, then adjusted scores on a scale of 0 to 100, with 100 representing the most anxiety.
