Americans Are Becoming More Convinced That Aliens Have Visited Earth

Thanks for tuning back into the BeX Files! This week, it's poll-tested.

Let's jump right in: How likely do you think it is that aliens have already visited Earth? And if they have, what are the odds that they’re far more technologically advanced than we are?

Last—and most important—do you think aliens would have a sense of humor? It would be a real bonus if our search for extraterrestrial life ended with an extraterrestrial laugh.

These are just a few of the questions posed to 1,114 Americans in a YouGov poll about aliens published earlier this week. The answers are illuminating: Nearly half (47 percent) of Americans believe aliens have definitely or probably visited Earth at some point, while 37 percent say they have definitely or probably haven’t. Sixteen percent are not sure. 

Interestingly, these numbers are up from a similar poll conducted in 2012 that found 36 percent of Americans believed aliens had stopped by Earth, while 17 percent did not believe in alien visitation. A whopping 48 percent were not sure. (In true 2012 fashion, this poll also asked whether Barack Obama or Mitt Romney would be better equipped to handle an alien invasion; Obama won with 65 percent of the vote.)     

What’s behind the shift toward belief in alien visitation? Polls can’t capture the diverse array of drivers. Was it the Pentagon UAP videos? The revival of alien-centric subcultures, supercharged by the internet? A general vibe shift toward cosmic connection? Who knows. Not me. But it does seem clear that the possibility of alien visitation has picked up a lot of new converts over the past decade.

The new poll contains some other juicy nuggets: The vast majority of Americans—74 percent—say it’s very or somewhat likely that any aliens we encountered would be far more technologically advanced than humans. That makes sense. Since we haven’t yet wrapped our heads around interstellar travel, aliens would almost certainly have to come to us first, making them more advanced almost by definition.

Still, I do appreciate that 9 percent of the respondents believe that if we encounter extraterrestrials, it’s not very likely that they would be more advanced than humans. It makes me imagine a bunch of marooned extraterrestrials showing up in a rickety spaceship held together with sticks and mud. Of course, it’s also possible that the 9 percent are professional astrobiologists who think our first alien encounter is likely to be with dead microbes on Mars, or the equivalent, in which case—touché!  

The survey is worth browsing as a snapshot of our ongoing obsession with aliens (which I wrote a book about—sneak-attack plug!). It would be neat to know how much these beliefs vary by country, or if the percentages hold with even larger sample sizes. Hopefully, more polls come out to address such questions in the future, given that people are not likely to become un-obsessed with aliens anytime soon. 

And what about that most tantalizing question—would aliens be funny? The jury is out. Only 29 percent of respondents think aliens would have a sense of humor, while 28 percent think that’s not very or not at all likely, and 43 percent remain undecided. So if any aliens are reading this, it’s time to perfect your tight 5.

With that, it’s time to close the file for this week! See you at the cosmic rest stop next Friday.