With the world has become the global village, communication between countries is becoming increasingly common. As an important tool for international communication, English has become increasingly important. However, for students in private vocational colleges, English listening anxiety is a common phenomenon, which not only affects the learning ability of students but also restricts the improvement of their comprehensive English ability. In this study, 242 first-year students of a private vocational college in Hainan, were used as the study objects, and the level, causes and influencing factors of their English listening anxiety were deeply analyzed via a questionnaire survey. Strategies to alleviate students’ English listening anxiety were discussed from the three aspects of teachers, students and schools. The conclusions of this study have certain theoretical and practical significance for improving the the teaching state for English listening to college students from private higher colleges. Meanwhile, It can also enhancing the learning effect of students to English. The comprehensive use of various strategies can effectively relieve students’ English listening anxiety, improve their English listening level and learning enthusiasm, and make great contributions to the future career development for them. However, owing to limitations in terms of research time and conditions, this study has several limitations. Future studies can further expand the research scope, increase the diversity and quantity of research samples, and adopt a combination of multiple research methods to conduct a more in-depth discussion on this issue.