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Americans split on whether UFOs have Earthly explanations, poll finds

FOX Local
Air and Space
Published August 26, 2026 11:14 AM MST
Published August 26, 2026 11:14 AM MST
article

This image is an artistic interpretation of a reported incident near a sensitive national security site in the western United States involving unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) over a period of two days in October 2023. 

The Brief

    • Nearly half of all Americans believe all UFO sightings have logical explanations of human activity, a new study found.
    • Data showed 49% of Americans think all UFO sightings can be naturally explained by Earthly activity, while another 37% actually do believe at least some UFOs have been alien spacecraft visiting Earth.
    • One area where Americans have historically been less divided is whether the government is withholding information about UFOs.

Americans are increasingly doubtful that unidentified flying objects represent actual evidence that extraterrestrial beings have visited our planet. Nearly half of all Americans believe all UFO sightings have logical explanations of human activity, a new study found. 

In a recent Gallup poll, data showed 49% of Americans think all UFO sightings can be naturally explained by Earthly activity, while another 37% actually do believe at least some UFOs have been alien spacecraft visiting Earth. There is 13% that do have an opinion one way or another. 

By the numbers:

Further data took a deep dive to look into specific subgroups of Americans’ beliefs about UFOs. Data show that younger adult men, aged 18 to 29, and college graduate Democrats were the one group to show the most skepticism about UFOs being extraterrestrial activity. 

RELATED: NASA chief confirms agency has unexplained UFO imagery: 'We don't know what it is'

RELATED: Trump orders release of alien and UFO government files

Pentagon declassifies UFO files 

The backstory:

The Department of Defense has released additional UFO-related records under a transparency directive issued by the Trump administration, part of an ongoing effort to declassify and make government-held information on unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) available to the public.

In February, President Trump said his administration would be releasing new video and information regarding UFOs to the public. 

In 2024, an 18-page report submitted to Congress said the military had 485 reports of unidentified phenomena, just in the past year. However, many of them were likely to be explained as "prosaic objects such as various types of balloons, birds, and unmanned aerial systems."

Following a leak, the Pentagon promised greater transparency as Congress held its first public UFO hearing in more than 50 years in May 2022.

RELATED: Pentagon releases new batch of declassified UFO files

Dig deeper:

One area where Americans have historically been less divided is whether the government is withholding information about UFOs. For decades, a strong majority of those surveyed have said they believe the U.S. government knows more than it is telling the public. In 1996, 71% held that view, compared with 68% in 2019.

The latest July poll shows that skepticism has grown, with 78% of Americans now saying they believe the government is withholding information about UFOs.

That split gives the 78% figure more impact instead of burying the newest finding at the end of a long paragraph.

The Source: This story was written with information provided by Gallup and previous reporting by LiveNOW from FOX. This story was reported from Orlando. 


 

Air and SpaceU.S.News