Poll: Americans think the government knows more about aliens than it's shared

Americans think the government knows more about aliens than shared

Most Americans (63%) think the government has more information on aliens
That majority was consistent across the political spectrum
Younger respondents are more likely to think information has been withheld

Updated: Sep 5, 2023 / 07:17 AM CDT

(NewsNation) — Most Americans think the government is holding back information when it comes to aliens, according to a NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ poll released Tuesday.

Over 63% of those surveyed believe the U.S. government has more information about extraterrestrial life than has been shared publicly. Just 17% of respondents don’t think that’s the case.

There was almost no difference across the political spectrum. Most Democrats (62%), independents (65%) and Republicans (64%) think the government has more info. Younger respondents between the ages of 18 to 34 were the most likely to think so (69%).

Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb said he’s surprised how many people think the government is hiding something.

“It’s easy to say we believe in intelligent life on other planets but it’s more difficult to say that the U.S. government has information about extraterrestrial life that was not made public. That’s more of a mystery,” he said.

Regarding intelligent life on other planets, over half of Americans (53%) believe it exists.

The survey results come one month after lawmakers on Capitol Hill held a hearing on UFOs. The renewed push for transparency around the issue followed explosive claims from former intelligence officer David Grusch back in June.

Congress is still investigating the matter, and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has said Grusch isn’t the only person to suggest the government is covering up evidence about UFOs.

“I really hope that if there’s anything behind this, if there is fire behind the smoke, that the U.S. government will disclose what it knows,” said Loeb.

Earlier this summer, Loeb and a team of researchers recovered fragments from an interstellar meteor off the coast of Papua New Guinea. It was the first time humans held materials from a large interstellar object.

While government skepticism is widespread, the latest poll suggests Americans are less convinced that UFOs and other unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) are directly connected to aliens.

About 53% of those surveyed think it’s somewhat or very likely UFOs are related to “intelligent alien life” versus 47% who don’t think it’s likely.

Again, younger respondents were far more likely to think the crafts are related to aliens (68%) versus just 43% of those age 55 or older who thought so.