Article/Document:
Summaries of Some Recent Opinion Polls on UFOs
Alberta UFO Study Group
original source | fair use notice
Summary: In studying the UFO phenomenon I am always stuck by the results of the most recent surveys. Recall the argument that there would be wide spread panic if the government announced that there was an extraterrestrial presence visiting earth. Well every polling result in the last 10 years simply doesn’t support that argument.
In studying the UFO phenomenon I am always stuck by the results of the most recent surveys.
Recall the argument that there would be wide spread panic if the government announced that there was an extraterrestrial presence visiting earth. Well every polling result in the last 10 years simply doesn’t support that argument.
Can you imagine that someone would announce that UFO’s are real and expect that the first thing you would do is set fire to your house! I mean really! Ok I exaggerate … but would you quit a good job? Would you leave your family? Would you set fire to government buildings? I think that is pretty unlikely!
So what has the policy of total secrecy and a movement to discredit those who have spoken up actually accomplished? Well it has obfuscated many of the solid facts around the phenomenon. It has given rise to extremist and fanatics in the field of study. Worse it continues to alienate the greatest source of information available on the subject…common every day people! It has constricted serious research and information which the public is demanding.
In Canada our Space Science Budget is approximately 300 million annually…paid by your taxes. Not one penny has ever been spent to inform the public, to help the public, to educate the public, to develop an open and systematic approach for documenting sightings and reports and then making that information available. Despite this the following surveys have shown a significant change in the publics perception of the phenomenon.
1996
GEORGE MAGAZINE (Sept)
Random Telephone Survey of 800 Adults conducted by GEORGE MAGAZINE
74% believed the US Government was currently involved in cover-ups
1996
NEWSWEEK POLE (Nov)
48% believe UFO’s are real
29% believe that we have made contact with aliens
48% believe that there is a government conspiracy to cover it up
1997
GALLUP POLL IN US (Sept)
87% Americans have read or heard about UFO’s
12% reported that they had something that they thought was a UFO
45% think UFO’s have visited earth
48% believe UFO’s are something real
31% believe UFO’s are the result of people’s imagination
72% believe that there is life in some form on other planets in the Universe
38% believe that there are people somewhat like ourselves living on other planets
71% believe that the US Government knows more about UFO’s than it’s telling
1997
CNN/TIME MAGAZINE POLL (June)
80% believe that the government is hiding the existence of extraterrestrial life forms
54% believe intelligent life exists beyond earth
64% believe aliens have contact humans
50% believe that aliens have abducted humans
93% have never been abducted
91% have never had contact with aliens
75% had never seen a UFO or knew of anyone who had
37% believe that aliens have contacted the US government
75% believe that a UFO crashed near Roswell
26% believe that they would be expected to be treated as an enemy
39% believe that aliens would appear very humanoid
35% believe that aliens would look somewhat human
June 1997 - UK
Largest Opinion Poll on UFO’s conducted after a live UFO debate on ITV entitled Strange but True. The question was “Have aliens already visited earth”.
Audience rating was just under 7 million.
92% voted in favor of the extraterrestrial hypothesis with a margin of plus minus 6%.
Three days after the program ITV Telecast ran their own telephone poll and asked “Do aliens exist?” Out of 2,215 votes cast, 87% answered Yes and 11% answered No.
2000
LIFE MAGAZINE
Do you think there is intelligent life somewhere in the universe other than earth?
Yes 54% - No 32% - Not Sure 14%
Do you think that intelligent beings from other planets have ever visited Earth or don’t you think so?
Yes 30% - No 54% - Not Sure 16%
Do you think the US government is withholding information from the public about the existence of UFO’s or don’t you think so?
Yes 49% - No 40% - Not Sure 11%
In your opinion are UFO’s real or just the product of people’s imaginations?
Yes Real 43% - Imaginary 42% - Not Sure 15%
Have you or anyone you known seen a UFO
Yes personally - 6% Yes someone I know - 13% No - 79% - Not Sure 2%
Have you or anyone you know ever had an encounter with beings from another planet or haven’t you?
Yes Personally – 1% Yes Someone I know – 6% No – 92% Not Sure 1%
2002 June 24
SKY NEWS
65% of Viewers said the believe in UFO’s
2002 August
Quark – Monthly Science monthly science magazine
Opinion Poll conducted by the CIRM Institute on extraterrestrial life and UFO’s
80% believed that other life forms exist in the Universe
55% believed that there is a foundation in truth for the existence of UFO’s
38% answered no.
Just a note of interest in a 1947 US Gallup Poll 90% of the population who hear of flying saucers believed they were not real.
Read more articles on this topic:
Public Opinion Polls on UFOs
