Are people scared about increasing unemployment Yes, there’s growing concern about rising unemployment among U.S. consumers. Recent posts on X indicate significant pessimism, with 66% to 67% of Americans expecting higher unemployment over the next 12 months, the highest level since 2008. This sentiment has nearly doubled in the past 4 to 5 months, a faster shift than during the 2008 financial crisis. Surveys cited in these posts, like those from the Conference Board, show a sharp decline in confidence about job availability, with only 13.2% of consumers believing jobs are plentiful compared to those saying jobs are hard to get. This anxiety is echoed in global surveys, such as the Ipsos "What Worries the World" study from May 2025, which notes heightened concern about unemployment in countries like South Korea (45%) and Argentina (46%), alongside other issues like inflation and inequality. While the U.S. unemployment rate remains relatively stable at 4.2% as of April 2025, the fear of a potential spike, possibly driven by trade policy uncertainties or economic slowdown, is evident in public