Are Britons worried about World War 3? New survey raises questions

Ukraine's prime minister has said that there will be a "third world war" if Ukraine loses its conflict with Russia, as he urged the US Congress to pass a long-stalled foreign aid bill.

Denys Shmyhal is optimistic US lawmakers would pass the measure, with a vote set to take place on Saturday.

Speaking to the BBC, Shmyhal said of the US security assistance: "We need this money yesterday, not tomorrow, not today.

"If we will not protect... Ukraine will fall," he added. "So the global, the global system of security will be destroyed... and all the world will need to find... a new system of security.

"Or, there will be many conflicts, many such kinds of wars, and in the end of the day, it could lead to the Third World War."

Earlier this year, UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps warned the world could break out into wars involving China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran in the next five years, and said we are moving "from a post-war to pre-war world".

There are fears in the UK, too, with Britons believing that World War Three is most likely in the next five to 10 years, according to a poll by YouGov. Let's take a look.

Are Britons worried about World War 3?

New data by YouGov shows that most Britons are now braced for World War Three, with 53 per cent saying it is likely to take place in the next five to 10 years.

Only 31 per cent of Britons think another global conflict is unlikely within that timeframe, including just eight per cent who think it is “not at all likely”.

While 59 per cent of those surveyed believed nuclear weapons would be launched in a third world war, compared to 24 per cent who believed this unlikely.

The survey also showed that the top two countries that Britons expect to be participants in a future global conflict continue to be the USA and Russia. Eight in 10 think that the USA would be involved – on the same side as the UK, at 81 per cent – while a similar 80 per cent think that Russia would be involved, on the opposing side to the UK.

Fewer think that Iran (68 per cent), China (64 per cent) and North Korea (64 per cent) would be involved – on a different side to the UK.