Majority fear severe sickness, says poll

A majority of Austrians fear suffering from a serious disease, according to research.Insurer Generali said today (Weds) its latest poll found that 54 per cent of Austrians were afraid of catching a life-threatening illness.The same share of the 1,372 people interviewed admitted being worried about a rise in living costs and a cutback of social benefits.Fifty-one per cent said they were afraid of global environmental pollution, up by 15 per cent from 2009.The number of those fearing natural disasters jumped from 40 per cent last year to 48 per cent in the new survey.Fifty per cent confessed they were concerned about the recovery of the economy, while only 23 per cent feared job loss – down by nine per cent year on year.