CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Everyone is talking about the sluggish economy, housing slump, credit crisis, weak labor market and flagging consumer confidence, but new Yankelovich research shows just how quickly consumers' anxieties have intensified -- and which issues are causing them the most concern.

In four months, the percentage of American consumers who reported feeling "severe anxiety" about economic and other issues doubled -- from 14 percent to 30 percent -- according to Yankelovich, Inc., a leading consumer-trends research company that turned 50 this year and merged with Henley Centre HeadlightVision of London.

The percentage of consumers who reported feeling either high anxiety or severe anxiety rose from 33 percent to 54 percent.

In February, the Yankelovich study Dollars & Consumer Sense revealed that 14 percent of American consumers felt "severe anxiety" about their personal economic and financial situations. Less than four months later, 30 percent of American consumers shared that sentiment -- double the January figure.

Two financial concerns topped the list in that research, with more than seven in 10 consumers mentioning them: the cost of gasoline and the cost of healthcare.