Millennials fear nuclear attack in next decade: survey

More than half of millennials fear there will be a nuclear attack somewhere in the world within the next decade, according to a survey by the Red Cross released on Thursday.

Some 47 per cent of respondents to the poll of 16,000 young people also believed it was more likely than not that there would be a third world war in their lifetime.

"Millennials appear to see cataclysmic war as a real likelihood in their lifetime," Peter Maurer, president of the Geneva-based International Committee of the Red Cross, said in a foreword to the report.

Adults aged between 20 and 35 took part in the survey -- both in war-torn countries such as Afghanistan and Syria and largely peaceful ones like Britain and France.

The Red Cross used online panels, face to face interviews and telephone interviews to reach people in 16 countries.

The most striking result came in reply to the question: "In your opinion, how likely or unlikely is it that nuclear weapons will be used in wars or armed conflicts anywhere in the world within the next 10 years?"
The ICRC said the survey also revealed some "worrying trends", such as the answers they received to the question: "In your opinion, is torturing captured enemy combatants acceptable under some circumstances, or is it never acceptable?"