Research Reveals Fear of Failure Has Us All Shaking in Our Boots This Halloween

SUNNYVALE, CA--(Marketwired - Oct 14, 2015) - Forget about slasher movies, haunted houses or things that go bump in the night; the latest research from goal-based social network, Linkagoal, reveals what is really making us shake in our boots this Halloween season -- failure.

Linkagoal's Fear Factor Index, launched today in partnership with YouGov, found that among 1,083 respondents surveyed, 1 in 3 Americans were found to be scared of failure (31%), more than spiders (30%), being home alone (9%), or even the paranormal (15%). Only horror films outranked fear of failure, but by only 1%.

When drilling down further into attitudes associated with failure and goal achievement, nearly half of applicable adults (49%) admitted that fear of failure was the biggest roadblock to either not achieving their goals at all, or discouraging them from revisiting their goals. And while fear of failure topped the Fear Factor Index, fear of embarrassment (44%) and fear of one's goal being perceived as too difficult to achieve (43%) were also major hurdles to goal achievement.

Other blood-curdling Linkagoal Fear Factor Index findings include:

• Failure is the Millennial's Monster Under the Bed:
  Millennials are more likely than any other age group to have a fear of failure (40%) in comparison with Generation Xers (31%) and Baby Boomers (23%).
  
  
• Man vs. Spider:
  Failure is more unsettling to Americans (31%) than eight-legged creepy crawlers (30%).
  
  
• Changing Habits is Scary:
  Adjusting daily routines was found to strike fear among many, with the idea of giving up chocolate (9%), going to the gym more regularly (6%) and quitting smoking (6%), all proving to be active contributors to fear. Even a small percentage (3%) admitted to being scared of eating salads daily.
  
  
• Men are Scaredy-Cats, Too:
  While women were found to be generally more scared of horror movies, spiders and ghosts, women's fear of failure (30%) was found to be nearly on par with men (31%).
  
  
• Old Adage Debunked:
  Contrary to the popular adage, "if at first you don't succeed, try, try again," the survey found that fear of failing actual created paralysis and prevented many from revisiting goals.
  
  

From quitting smoking to eating more vegetables, reaching one's goals can be a ghoulish challenge. According to another Linkagoal survey commissioned earlier this year, only 7% reported achieving all of their goals in 2014, citing that the biggest deterrents to be lack of motivation (41%), lack of time (32%) and/or simply not knowing where to start (19%). Lack of support from family, friends or a significant other (14%) and not having the right tools (13%) were also considered factors.

"These dismal rates of achievement and pursuing fears of failure are enough to make anyone's hair stand on end," said Mohsin Shafique, founder and CEO of Linkagoal. "Whether it's about failure, embarrassment or thinking a goal is too difficult to achieve, we are trying to change the goal-setting process by allowing people with similar goals and aspirations to connect, share, mentor and cheer one another, so they feel better supported and more motivated to accomplish their goals."

Goals are scary, but fear shouldn't hold you back from achieving them. Join Linkagoal today and stay tuned for the unveiling of several new user-friendly features to both its mobile and online platform next month. To be the first to know, sign up here www.linkagoal.com

About Linkagoal
Linkagoal is changing the way we set goals. With a global community of individuals with similar goals and aspirations, Linkagoal connects people to help turn their wishes into actions. Through social networking, users can collaborate by sharing useful tips, motivational support and other means of mentoring to help one another become successful in achieving their goals. For more information about how Linkagoal is changing the social landscape for good, please visit: www.linkagoal.com.

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1,083 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between September 29 - 30, 2015. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all US adults (aged 18+).