Americans expect by a wide margin to see another world war this decade — and they’re pretty sure they’ll be on the winning side.
Fully 61 percent of US adults said a third world war was likely within the next five to ten years YouGov survey reveals.
Respondents felt confident that America and its NATO allies would defeat their most likely enemies – Russia and China.
About half of those polled said Western allies would beat these two countries, even if Beijing and Moscow themselves had joined forces.
The Americans are pretty sure they will be on the winning side in a fight with Russia and China
Republicans see World War 3 as more likely this decade than their Democratic counterparts
The probe comes after Russian missiles and drones rained down on Ukraine overnight and as China builds up its forces to retake the breakaway island of Taiwan, perhaps as early as 2027.
YouGov researcher Jamie Ballard wrote in his report that although many Americans see a massive war on the horizon, they are not eagerly reaching for a uniform and an assault rifle.
“The majority of Americans believe that another world war is at least somewhat likely to happen in the next five to 10 years,” Ballard wrote in a report.
“But most people don’t think they would volunteer to serve in military roles or non-combatant roles if the United States were to be involved.”
The planet has seen only two world wars, with the campaigns of 1914-18 and 1939-45 drawing groups of great powers into epic battles.
Analysis has been predicting a third of these face-offs since before World War II even ended.
There have been moments, such as the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 – when humanity came close.
US forces are conducting live-fire exercises in Europe, amid fears that Russia’s war on Ukraine could escalate
Even when Russia and China join forces, only 12 percent of respondents imagined their chances of winning
Today, there are many reasons to be concerned that we are close to a full-scale conflict.
Russia has been encroaching on Ukraine since annexing Crimea in 2014, while China’s leader Xi Jinping has set 2027 as a likely year to retake its self-governing province of Taiwan, a US admiral told the Senate this week.
Israel’s attack on militants in Gaza could still develop into a feared conflict involving Iran and Arab states, while climate change or the rise of artificial intelligence could also trigger some form of military escalation.
The doomsday clock, a symbolic measure of how close humanity is to global catastrophe, was set again in January to 90 seconds to midnight – the closest we’ve ever been to the symbolic moment of the apocalypse.
These factors undoubtedly influenced the 1,000 US citizens who took part in YouGov’s survey last month.
Three in five said a world war was likely within the next five to 10 years.
Republicans were much more worried about a clash — nearly three-quarters of them saw a massive war on the horizon.
US citizens see Britain as its most likely ally in the next major war, and Russia as its main adversary
South Korean and American soldiers pose for pictures after joint exercises near the tense border with the North
Only a small portion of American citizens were willing to talk about World War III
When it comes to choosing partners, respondents said Britain, Ukraine, Israel, France and Germany would likely be on the US side.
Most likely they would be up against Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, Cuba and Iraq – or some combination of these enemies.
Most respondents fancied their chances – a whopping 53 percent said the Western allies would eliminate Russia, and 45 percent said they would prevail over the combined power of Moscow and Beijing.
But the respondents were of course well aware that such a conflict would involve more than just troops, tanks, frigates and fighter planes.
More than two-thirds said the next major conflict would involve nuclear weapons.
And while they were willing to consider a world war, very few respondents were eager to fight in one.
Only 6 percent said they would volunteer to fight in a global conflict involving the United States.
That rose to 16 percent if America was threatened by an imminent invasion.
“Americans are more open to the idea of serving in non-combat roles in the event of a world war,” Ballard writes.
‘Nineteen per cent say they would volunteer for this type of role.’