Does alien life really exist out in the cosmos? A new poll finds most Americans believe the answer is yes — and they’re already paying our planet regular visits! A survey of more than 1,000 Americans finds that a staggering 78 percent believe in the existence of aliens.
As far as alien conspiracies go, one in three believe aliens have abducted human beings in the past. Another 37 percent think U.S. scientists and officials have already made contact with alien life.
Whether you believe humans have met aliens or not, the country is evenly split on whether these visitors “come in peace.” Exactly 50 percent say they believe extraterrestrials are friendly, while the other half think aliens are currently planning our eventual destruction! That may be why one in four say they’re actually scared by the idea that aliens exist and one in six fear there will be an alien invasion in the future.
Where are most UFO sightings reported?
Using data from the National UFO Reporting Center Database, the poll conducted by MyVision.org, also finds that more and more people think the aliens are already here! Going back to 1974, California has been the historical hotspot for UFO sightings. There have been twice the number of sightings in that state than anywhere else across America (15,401).
However, maybe this has more to do with the fact that there are simply more people around looking up at the sky. During that same period, Florida (7,749), Washington (6,866), Texas (5,786), and New York (5,590) rounded out the top five states making UFO reports.
Interestingly, Nevada — which is home to the famously classified U.S. Air Force base “Area 51” — finished in 27th place with only 1,605 UFO sightings over the years. Meanwhile, New Mexico, home to the alleged UFO crash site in Roswell, came in 28th place (1,578).
Flight paths changing in recent years?
While large, populated states may have been the place to be if you wanted to see a UFO years ago, the study found that these alien visitors may be changing their flight paths. Over the last five years, more Americans have reported UFO sightings in Idaho than anywhere else in the nation, per 100,000 residents.
New Hampshire (313), Montana (223), Vermont (132), and New Mexico (391) round out the top five places for UFO sightings over the last five years. At the same time, big states like Texas (50th), New York (46th), and California (41st) now have the fewest reports of UFO sightings per 100,000 residents. Maybe the aliens are just trying to find a little more privacy.
Methodology:
MyVision analyzed the number of reported UFO sightings from the National UFO Reporting Center Database, both looking at each state’s overall number of reports and the reports from the last five years. They then looked at the number of reports from the last five years and compared it to each state’s population, per 100,000 residents.
In September 2022, MyVision researchers surveyed 1,013 Americans to get their feedback on UFOs and aliens. Respondents were 48% female, 49% male, and 3% non-binary, with an age range of 18 to 80 and an average age of 39 years-old.