Editor’s Note: This article was updated on Aug. 20, 2021, with Gallup’s latest data pertaining to Americans’ views on UFOs.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Four in 10 Americans now think some UFOs that people have spotted have been alien spacecraft visiting Earth from other planets or galaxies. This is up from a third saying so two years ago. Half, however, believe all such sightings can be explained by human activity or natural phenomena, while an additional 9% are unsure.
| Aug 1-14, 2019 | Jul 6-21, 2021 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | pct. pts. | |
| Some have been alien spacecraft | 33 | 41 | +8 |
| All explained by human activity/natural phenomenon | 60 | 50 | -10 |
| No opinion | 7 | 9 | +2 |
| Gallup |
These findings are based on a Gallup poll conducted in July 2021.
While Americans are still inclined to think UFOs are not alien spacecraft, close to half believe alien life forms exist beyond Earth. A June 2019 poll found 49% of Americans believing there are “people somewhat like ourselves” living on other planets. A much larger percentage, 75%, said that “life of some form” exists elsewhere in the universe.
Learn more about U.S. public belief in UFOs in Gallup’s 2021 article, “Larger Minority in U.S. Says Some UFOs Are Alien Spacecraft.”
For more articles in the “Short Answer” series, visit Gallup’s The Short Answer page.
Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted July 6-21, 2021, with a random sample of 1,007 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. For results based on the total sample of national adults, the margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. All reported margins of sampling error include computed design effects for weighting.
Each sample of national adults includes a minimum quota of 70% cellphone respondents and 30% landline respondents, with additional minimum quotas by time zone within region. Landline and cellular telephone numbers are selected using random-digit-dial methods.
