One Third of Americans Believe in Aliens

Incredibly, one third of Americans do not find the existence of alien life too incredible. In a 2019 survey by Gallup, 33 percent of U.S. adults said that they believed that alien spacecraft have been among some UFO sightings in the past. 60 percent of respondents said that they believed all UFO sightings could be chalked up either to human activity or a natural phenomenon. The world might find out who is right when the U.S. government publishes its unclassified report to Congress on the matter. The paper is expected as early as June 1.

It’s not only belief in extraterrestrial life that is common among Americans. Many also believe that the government has long known more about the existence of alien life forms than it lets on. This standpoint was made popular in the modern myths surrounding the Area 51 classified Air Force facility in Nevada or the Roswell incident, which saw a flying object – now believed to have been part of the Air Force’s secret high-altitude balloon project - crash near the New Mexico town in 1947. In the latter case, the U.S. armed forces actually stoked the rumors, allegedly because the alien story was a welcome alternative to giving away the classified project.

Also in 2019, more than half of Americans said that it was very or somewhat likely that the government was hiding something about UFOs. In the survey by YouGov, only 27 percent said they thought the above was unlikely while 19 percent said they didn’t know.