Americans Report Growing Belief In Apocalypse
Psychologists at the University of British Columbia and UC Irvine surveyed more than 1,400 religiously diverse Americans in mid-2025 and found roughly 29–39% believe the world will end within their lifetime. They developed a validated 25-item scale measuring five apocalyptic-belief dimensions, which accounted for about 15% of variance in threat perceptions and 16% in risk tolerance, with human-causation beliefs linked to greater urgency and divine-causation beliefs linked to lower support for extreme responses.
Key Points
- 1Identify five psychological dimensions of apocalyptic belief using a validated 25-item scale
- 2Show apocalyptic beliefs explain ~15–16% variance in threat perceptions and risk tolerance
- 3Indicate communication and policy must account for belief type to predict public support for measures
Scoring Rationale
Robust empirical framework and sizable sample, limited by single-study scope and uncertain peer-review or publication status.
Sources
Public references used for this report.
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