Nearly a quarter of Britons think it likely that an apocalyptic disaster will strike the world during their lifetime – though not many believe it will be a literal judgment day.

A YouGov poll was conducted among an online sample of 1,745 people earlier this month. It reflects greater optimism than in the US, where a similar poll showed that 31 per cent expected a disaster. The majority in each country opted for nuclear war as the most likely scenario.

UKIP voters are more likely to believe in an apocalyptic event, with 31 of UKIP supporters saying they believe it is somewhat or very likely – much more than the average of 23 per cent.

However, while 16 per cent of Americans linked disaster to the Second Coming – reflecting the much higher figures for churchgoing in the US – only three per cent of British people did, though this rose to seven per cent in London.

The survey also showed that most people had given no thought to preparing for an apocalyptic disaster and that more than half (54 per cent) thought that if it happened they would stay near their homes.

The percentage expecting judgment day was the same as the percentage expecting a zombie outbreak but higher than the number expecting an alien invasion (one per cent). Thirteen per cent thought that a apocalyptic disaster would be caused by climate change.