For centuries, they have been subversive speakers of truth to power – and a focus for our fears. Why do clowns provoke such strong emotions?
Perhaps more than other Shocks of the Old, today’s needs a content warning because much of humanity is scared of clowns. In 2022, of 987 respondents to the Fear of Clowns Questionnaire, or FCQ (yes, a real thing) 272 (27.6%) reported “a fear of clowns, while 50 (5.1%) rated this fear as extreme”.
In a controversial (with clowns) 2008 survey of more than 250 children, every single one said they disliked clown decor in hospitals. “We found that clowns are universally disliked by children,” said the study lead, Dr Penny Curtis. “Some found them quite frightening and unknowable.”
