Decades old and still completely relevant, "Culture of Fear": https://www.amazon.com/Culture-Fear-Americans-Afraid-Things/...

Also, in my experience older people just get more paranoid. I have seen it happen with family members who are otherwise pretty sharp. They get more wary or suspicious in ways that aren't very rational. Since that is a lot of the folk who hang out on places like Nextdoor, I can see how that goes. That's why you need diversity and young families in neighborhoods. It provides balance.

I worry about road traffic accidents and heart disease. You might like this book -

"The Culture of Fear: Why Americans Are Afraid of the Wrong Things"

http://www.amazon.com/Culture-Fear-Americans-Afraid-Things/d...

A book that I loved in HS on a similar topic, just more focused on the social aspect of it is "The Culture of Fear" by Barry Glassner. Recommended also.

http://www.amazon.com/Culture-Fear-Americans-Afraid-Things/d...