Doomsday Believers No Longer Fringe: Study Suggests They’re A Third Of America

By StudyFinds Analysis

Reviewed by Steve Fink

Research led by Dr. Matthew I. Billet (University of British Columbia)

Mar 14, 2026
FACT CHECKED VERIFIED



(Image by Casimiro PT on Shutterstock)

From climate change to the rise of AI to the Rapture, more adults think we’re currently living in end times.

In a Nutshell

• About one in three Americans in the study’s sample believed the world would end within their own lifetime, a figure that aligns with broader national polling, and those beliefs turned out to be stronger predictors of risk behavior than political affiliation or income.
• Apocalyptic belief is not one thing: researchers identified five distinct dimensions, including who or what people believe will cause the end, how soon they expect it, and whether they view it as something to dread or welcome.
• The specific flavor of someone’s end-of-world belief matters enormously. People who blame human action for eventual catastrophe perceive current threats as more urgent, while those who believe God controls the end times are significantly less likely to support extreme action to address them.
• A puzzle the researchers could not fully explain: people who believe the apocalypse will ultimately be a good thing still tended to support drastic measures to prevent existential threats.

Between 29% and 39% of Americans believe they are currently living in the end times. That is not a fringe position held by a handful of doomsday cults. It cuts across Evangelical congregations, climate activist circles, Silicon Valley boardrooms, and rural prepper communities alike. And according to a new study, it may be one of the most consequential and least examined forces in how the public responds to the biggest threats facing the planet.

Psychologists at the University of British Columbia and the University of California, Irvine surveyed more than 1,400 religiously diverse Americans and found that apocalyptic thinking is neither a fringe preoccupation nor a purely spiritual abstraction. It is a measurable psychological force, and the specific flavor of someone’s end-of-world belief predicts how they perceive and respond to threats like climate change, nuclear war, economic collapse, and artificial intelligence with surprising consistency.

The study, led by psychologist Matthew Billet and co-authored by Cindel White, Azim Shariff, and Ara Norenzayan, is among the first to build a formal framework around end-of-world beliefs as a psychological construct. Its findings complicate the familiar story that risk behavior is primarily a matter of politics or religion.

A third of Americans now believe the world will reach its end during their lifetime. (© Liza – stock.adobe.com)

"Every second counts": Doomsday Clock shows humanity closer than ever to catastrophe

Juan Manuel Santos



Juan Manuel Santos joins speakers Herb Lin, Suzet McKinney and Robert Socolow on stage for the Clock unveiling.

28 January 2025

The hands of the Doomsday Clock were moved forward to an unprecedented 89 seconds to midnight, the closest to catastrophe humanity has ever been. In his address at the Clock unveiling in Washington D.C., Chair of The Elders, Juan Manuel Santos highlighted the interconnect nature of entrenched, as well as emerging, existential threats and urged humanity to come together to protect our shared future.

Read his remarks in full:

Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished colleagues, and esteemed guests,

This clock is a stark diagnosis of our reality.

At 89 seconds to midnight, the Doomsday Clock stands closer to catastrophe than at any moment in its history.

The Clock speaks to the existential threats that confront us, and the need for unity and bold leadership to turn back its hands.

2024 was the hottest year on record, unleashing devastating climate shocks that destroyed lives and livelihoods across the globe.

The only effective response is for nations to work together, which is why it is so alarming that President Trump has signalled his intention to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement. In this crucial year for climate action ahead of COP30 in Brazil, I urge all other signatories to double down and reaffirm their commitment to meeting the Paris goals.

The climate crisis is a force multiplier for instability and insecurity, amplifying the likelihood and severity of all other existential threats.

2025 Doomsday Clock Announcement (R$E)

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