Over half of Americans view stocks as risky and more than four in 10 plan to adopt a more conservative portfolio allocation, new research reveals.

Franklin Templeton of San Mateo, Calif., published this finding in its 2012 Franklin Templeton Global Investor Sentiment Survey, which polled more than 20,000 individuals in 19 countries, representing 70 percent of the world's GDP. Designed in partnership with Duke University psychology and behavioral economics professor Dan Ariely, the survey examines factors influencing investors' outlooks and behavior.

More than half (51 percent) of U.S. respondents consider stocks to be risky, which is on par with the 52 percent of global respondents holding this view, the report finds. Asked to apply their current risk appetite to their investment allocation plans, 43 percent of U.S. respondents indicate they would seek to adjust their portfolio to be more conservative this year, while less than a fifth (19 percent) would seek to be more aggressive.