Almost half of children believe humans will soon live on Mars

Six in 10 kids feel anxious about the environment on Earth with more than a third (34 per cent) saying they don’t think enough is being done to solve the world’s environmental problems.

As a result, 48 per cent of under 16s believe they will live to see a human colony established on Mars.

Another 49 per cent reckon humans will look to space for other places to live in future, while 59 per cent expect to holiday in space in the future.

The research released by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) surveyed 1,000 children aged six to 16 and their parents. It also found 61 per cent of youngsters believe climate change issues could mean humankind will leave the planet.

Worries about the future of Earth are not solely confined to the younger generation, as two thirds (66 per cent) of parents admit they are ‘future-proofing’ their children to ensure they have the engineering skills required to tackle a future threatened by climate change.

The idea of living on another planet in the future has led to 46 per cent of children to develop an interest in engineering and technology.

Engineering is now the third most popular profession children would like to work in (15 per cent), with the career only falling behind being a YouTuber (18 per cent), or footballer (17 per cent).

Of all the careers available in engineering, 16 per cent of children said space exploration would be the number one field they would want to work within.

While historically, inspirational figures in engineering relating to space have been male, this looks set to change in the near future as 36 per cent of children who say they would consider a career in engineering were girls.

Parents, polled via OnePoll, also have engineering aspirations for their children with 37 per cent saying they would like to send their children to an extra-curricular activity such as a mathematics, coding or science club.