One in seven thinks end of world is coming
CHRIS MICHAUD
Last updated 11:03 02/05/2012
Nearly 15 per cent of people worldwide believe the world will end
during their lifetime and 10 per cent think the Mayan calendar could
signify it will happen in 2012, according to a new poll.
The end of the Mayan calendar, which spans about 5125 years, on
December 21, 2012 has sparked interpretations and suggestions that it
marks the end of the world.
"Whether they think it will come to an end through the hands of God,
or a natural disaster or a political event, whatever the reason, one in
seven thinks the end of the world is coming," said Keren Gottfried,
research manager at Ipsos Global Public Affairs which conducted the poll for Reuters.
"Perhaps it is because of the media attention coming from one
interpretation of the Mayan prophecy that states the world 'ends' in our
calendar year 2012," Gottfried said, adding that some Mayan scholars
have disputed the interpretation.
Responses to the international
poll of 16,262 people in more than 20 countries varied widely with only
six per cent of French residents believing in an impending Armageddon
in their lifetime, compared to 22 per cent in Turkey and the United
States and slightly less in South Africa and Argentina.
But only seven per cent in Belgium and eight per cent in Great Britain feared an end to the world during their lives.
About one in 10 people globally also said they were experiencing
fear or anxiety about the impending end of the world in 2012. The
greatest numbers were in Russia and Poland, the fewest in Great Britain.
Gottfried also said that people with lower education
or household income levels, as well as those under 35 years old, were
more likely to believe in an apocalypse during their lifetime or in
2012, or have anxiety over the prospect.
"Perhaps those who are older have lived long enough to not be as
concerned with what happens to their future," she explained.
Ipsos questioned people in China, Turkey, Russia, Mexico, South
Korea, Japan, the United States, Argentina, Hungary, Poland, Sweden,
France, Spain, Belgium, Canada, Australia, Italy, South Africa, Great
Britain, Indonesia, Germany.
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