The Unisys Security index surveys more than 13,000 people in 13 countries, and is considered one of the only recurring global snapshots of citizen perceptions. It measures anxiety about issues like national security, disasters or epidemics, and personal safety. The most recent survey (2017) shows that levels of U.S. anxiety jumped sharply since the last survey in 2014, and came in at the highest levels since the surveys began a decade ago.

"It's an understatement to say that anxiety level is high, and we live in very uncertain times," said a Unisys senior vice president. "We definitely have seen a huge spike over the last three years." Another expert added, "It appears that our cloak of security, the impression that we had that we are more secure than the rest of the world, is starting to fade."