The phrase "provoke fears" is correct and usable in written English.
It is usually used in a figurative sense to mean "to cause feelings of fear or anxiety", for example: "His bellowing voice provoked fears that he would become violent".
His wife does not appear at state functions lest her designer head scarf provoke fears of an imminent theocracy.
Claims that peanuts and almonds are being used as a substitute for cumin seeds to bulk up common products provoke fears of a food scandal that is described by one expert as "much, much more serious" than the horsemeat crisis.
Repeating an argument made by many multinational executives, and dismissed by union officials in the United States, Mr. Barton said that while such a move would provoke fears of job losses elsewhere, his company needed to compete in China and believed that if it manufactured part of its lineup here, there would be a demand for additional products that are not manufactured in China.
Elsewhere institutions provoke fear, contempt or frustration.
Terrorist attacks provoke fear around the globe.
"This is not to provoke fear or controversy," he said.
Yet they provoke fear as well as wonder.
In humans, the notion that pheromones provoke fear and other responses remains controversial.
They also devised the new storyline, one whose aim is largely to provoke fear.
"To provoke fear they proclaim liberty and say they are the ones who will finish E.T.A. off," he said.
Over the years, haunted-house designers (hauntrepreneurs, as they sometimes call themselves) have developed a finely tuned vocabulary of architectural, lighting, audio, and animatronic techniques to provoke fear.
