Sure, a lot of people are talking about the apocalypse here today. But most are joking. Not so in China, according to Quartz…
It’s not just anecdotal. A Reuters poll by the research firm Ipsos Global Public Affairs found that 20% of Chinese surveyed, the most of any country in the poll, agreed with the statement: “The Mayan calendar, which some say ‘ends’ in 2012, marks the end of the world.” As of Dec. 19, the search term “end of the world” had netted 49 million posts on Sina Weibo, China’s massive microblogging site. “Mayan” called up a little over 10 million. The posts include tributes to people’s loved ones and tongue-in-cheek ads from businesses on apocalyptic deals. On whether the world will be plunged into darkness for three days, one said, “If it really does go dark, I’ll just stay in bed and sleep.”
12 percent of Americans thought it would end today. Guess there’s still time…
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