Just in time for Independence Day, YouGov asked Americans if they believe the government has information about UFOs that is not being shared with the public.
Recently, members of the US Navy spoke to The New York Times about several instances in 2014 and 2015 where they spotted “unexplained aerial phenomena, or unidentified flying objects.” Since the report was released, several United States senators have received classified Pentagon briefings about these reported encounters with unidentified aircraft.
Close to three in 10 (28%) Americans say it’s “very likely” the government knows something about UFOs that is not being shared with the public. Slightly fewer (26%) say it’s “somewhat likely.”
Six in ten Democrats (62%) and about half of Republicans (51%) and independents (50%) say it’s likely the government has secret info about UFOs. Nearly a quarter (23%) of Democrats believe it’s somewhat or very unlikely, a belief shared by 34% of Republicans and 32% of independents.
In general, older Americans are more likely to believe the government has top-secret info about UFOs. While 41% of 18-24-year-olds say they believe this to be true, almost two-thirds (64%) of 45-54-year-olds say the same.
Men (59%) are more likely than women (50%) to believe the government knows something about UFOs that isn’t being shared with the public.
In 2017, YouGov asked Americans what they thought was the most likely explanation for why humanity hadn’t made contact with aliens. Data from YouGov Profiles finds that at the time, 14% of Americans believed “we have already made contact with alien life, but the government is covering it up.”
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