What Americans most fear isn't the kind of stuff you'd find inside the typical haunted house, according to a new survey.

Number 1 on the list of what Americans say they are afraid of or very afraid of: Corrupt government officials.

Next were terrorist attacks and not having enough money for the future, according to a national survey by Chapman University in California. More than 1,500 people were queried on 79 different fears

And what about the kind of stuff you find portrayed inside a haunted house? Reptiles ranked 13th, between biological warfare and government tracking of personal data.

Ben Armstrong rolled his eyes at the idea of incorporating some of those fears in Netherworld, a sprawling metro Atlanta haunted house he co-owns.

“We are selling a fantasy here,” he said. “That’s reality.”

Find out more about fear and human nature from 20 years of running a top haunted attraction, in my latest Unofficial Business column on MyAJC.com.