Paranormal

Gallup Poll Shows Increase In Belief that UFOs Are of Alien Origin

I’ve always viewed the possible existence of UFOs and extraterrestrials as a great big “maybe.” While it would be exciting, and possibly even topple our understanding of the universe and our place in it, the fact that we haven’t seen definitive proof of intelligent life, outside of the occasional rumor or shaky YouTube video, makes me think we probably haven’t been visited by anyone recently. That’s not to mention the vast, mind-boggling distances involved in space travel. Would extraterrestrial civilizations even manage to make it here in time, at this specific moment, to meet us?

Well, that’s all just my opinion, anyway. Results from a Gallop poll published on August 20, 2021 show an increase in the number of people who believe unidentified crafts are the work of extraterrestrials. That means they do not believe these alleged crafts have an earthly origin.

According to the poll, at least 41% of adults in the United States believe that “some UFOs involve alien spacecraft from other planets.” That’s an eight-point jump from 2019, when the number was just 33%.

A full half still believe UFOs are strictly caused by humans or explainable natural phenomena, but even this is down 10 points from two years ago.

Gallup suggests the increase in belief might have something to do with the simultaneous increase in media coverage of UFOs and alien topics. The back half of 2019 saw the infamous ‘Storm Area 51’ event, and more recently there have been a number of official UFO document disclosures. Also notable, according to Gallup, is the increase in belief among college-educated adults, which is up 10 points. They say this could be because they pay “greater attention to news.”

The general vibe is that exposure to certain topics in the media and popular culture not only raises awareness, but also sways belief. Belief in extraterrestrial UFOs, says Gallup, could be bolstered by the aforementioned official disclosures regarding sightings of unexplained aerial phenomena, which might add a certain legitimacy to the topic. It should be noted that the “No opinion” option of the survey also increased, from 7% to 9%.

Some people just can’t be bothered!

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Rob Schwarz

Writer, blogger, and part-time peddler of mysterious tales. Editor-in-chief of Stranger Dimensions.

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