In advance of “Chasing UFOs” series, NatGeo releases results of “Aliens Among Us” survey

More than 80 million Americans are certain that UFOs exist. A large majority think aliens might possess superpowers, including time-travel skills. And two-thirds of Americans think that Barack Obama is better suited to handle an alien invasion than Mitt Romney.

These are some of the results that came out of NatGeo’s “Aliens Among Us” survey conducted last month, which asked questions about UFOs and the possibility that aliens exist and have visited Earth. The results were announced yesterday, a few days before the premiere of National Geographic Channel’s new series Chasing UFOs, which premieres on the network June 29 at 9pm ET/PT.

“I think this goes to show that Americans are well informed,” says Erin Ryder, executive producer and tech investigator of Chasing UFOs. This is an odd statement considering that the survey results seem to reveal that not only do good numbers of Americans believe in alien visitors, but that at least some of them also believe in superheroes and zombies.

While the results may not be comforting in one’s assessment of Americans’ potential for incredulity, they are fun to pore over. Here are some of the notable results that came out of the “Aliens Among Us” survey:

* 36% of Americans believe UFOs exist. More than one in 10 (11%) are confident that they have spotted a UFO, and one in five (20%) know someone who claims to have seen one.

* Seven in 10 (71%) Americans think that aliens are more likely to exist than are superheroes, vampires or zombies. But if aliens attacked our planet, 21% would most likely call on the Hulk to deal with them (only 12% would trust Batman, and even fewer — 8% — would bother calling Spider-Man).

* 55% of Americans believe that officials of the sort seen in the Men in Black movies threaten those who come forward with UFO sightings.

* 19% think that Washington, D.C., would be the most likely landing zone for a UFO. 28% think one would touch down in Roswell, New Mexico.

* Nearly four in five people (79%) believe that the government has kept information about UFOs a secret from the public.

* About two-thirds (65%) of Americans think Barack Obama would be better suited than Mitt Romney to handle an alien invasion. More than two in three (68%) women say that Obama would be more adept at dealing with the invasion than Romney, versus 61% of men. And more younger citizens, ages 18-64, than those aged 65+ (68% versus 50%) think Romney would not be as well-suited as Obama to handle the alien invasion.

* Nearly one in four (22%) Americans would try to befriend an alien, while 15% would run away, and 13% would lock their doors, if a UFO landed in their backyard. Only 2% would try to inflict bodily harm on the otherworldly visitor.

* More men than women (27% versus 18%) would attempt to befriend an alien. 50% of Americans would want to be friends with E.T. over any other fictional alien.

* 27% believe that The X-Files most closely reflects what would happen if extraterrestrials lived on Earth. 21% believe that Close Encounters of the Third Kind is the movie that best depicts aliens.

* More than three in four (77%) Americans think there are signs that suggest aliens have visited Earth. 60% believe that photographs, and 57% believe that videos, of UFOs are more powerful evidence of alien activity than long-ago creations of mysterious monuments, such as the Great Pyramids of Egypt (36%) and Stonehenge (36%).

* More women than men (55% versus 45%) think that crop circles are solid proof of an alien presence, while more men than women (43% versus 30%) think the same about the Great Pyramids.


NGC says that the “Aliens Among Us” survey polled a random nationwide sample of 1,114 Americans, May 21-May 29, 2012. The poll was conducted by Kelton Research, which used e-mail invitations and online surveys. Quotas were set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the total U.S. population ages 18 and older. The margin of error is +/- 2.9 percent.

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Credit: Mauricio Ruiz

1 Comment

  1. I would love to see you guys interview Mr John Lear it would make a great show look him up on the internet some of the best stories i have ever heard

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