READ: Half of Americans Believe Aliens Have Visited Earth, New Poll Shows
A new YouGov survey shows that belief in extraterrestrial life has firmly entered the American mainstream. What was once a fringe idea is now a majority view: 56% of Americans say aliens definitely or probably exist, and nearly half believe those visitors have already made their way to Earth. For many, the question is no longer if extraterrestrials exist, but when we’ll encounter them again.
The survey finds that Americans are far more confident in alien life than in legendary cryptids. Belief in aliens easily surpasses belief in Bigfoot (28%), the Yeti (23%), the Loch Ness Monster (22%), and the Chupacabra (16%). Political identity plays a role as well, with Democrats and Independents more likely than Republicans to say aliens exist.
Views on UFOs remain divided. 30% of Americans think UFOs are probably alien in origin, while 45% believe they’re something else. Nearly half of the country (47%) believes aliens have visited Earth at some point, and 42% think those visits may have happened in recent years.
Looking ahead, Americans are split on how soon contact might occur. 16% expect an encounter within the next decade, 29% within 50 years, and nearly half believe humanity will make contact within 200 years. People who already believe aliens have visited are far more optimistic about future encounters than those who do not.
Most Americans believe an alien arrival would be risky. They are twice as likely to predict negative consequences as positive ones, with many expecting extraterrestrial visitors to be technologically advanced, hard to detect, and potentially capable of spreading new diseases. Only a minority believes alien contact would unite the world.
Public trust in government transparency remains low. A full 73% say the U.S. government would hide evidence of UFOs rather than reveal it. About 21% of Americans report having seen something they thought was a UFO, though most think their sighting had a non-alien explanation.
The survey, conducted online November 4–9, 2025 among 1,114 adults, reflects a nation both fascinated by the possibility of alien life and cautious about what contact might bring. For now, Americans remain caught between curiosity and concern.
