People believe in aliens, survey finds

Meghin Moore, special to wtop.com

WASHINGTON – Aliens do exist — or at least that’s what a new survey from a National Geographic Channel poll says.

One in 10 people thinks he’s seen a UFO, USA TODAY reports.

“We wanted to get a sense of how Americans view UFOs, what believe and how mainstream pop culture may or may not be playing into their opinions on it,” Brad Dancer, senior vice president of research and digital media for National Geographic, tells the paper.

The survey, done to promote the channel’s latest show, “Chasing UFOs,” found the following:

  • 17 percent of Americans do not think UFOs are real;
  • 48 percent are not sure if extraterrestrial life exists;
  • 36 percent are convinced aliens exist.

Watch a preview for Chasing UFOs, which premieres Friday at 9 p.m. on National Geographic Channel.

Meanwhile, 79 percent of people surveyed seem to think the government has kept information on UFOs and aliens hidden from the public, and nearly 65 percent think President Barack Obama would be better to handle an alien invasion compared to GOP hopeful Mitt Romney.

When asked who would come save the planet if an alien invasion happened, 21 percent said they would like the Hulk to stop in, 12 percent said Batman and 8 percent would call Spider-Man.

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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

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