One in Seven Americans Say They or Someone They Know Has Had an Experience Involving a UFO
A total of 14 percent have had or know someone who has had at least one Close Encounter of the "First," "Second," or "Third" kind. The largest proportion (12 percent) say they or someone else they know has seen a UFO at close quarters. Much smaller proportions say they or someone they know has seen a UFO cause a physical effect on objects, animals, or humans (3 percent) or has had an encounter with extraterrestrial life (2 percent).
Claims of at least one Close Encounter are more common among males and among 18-to-24-year-olds.
Of those who believe in intelligent life, 17 percent claim to have had (or know someone who had) an encounter with a UFO or extraterrestrial life. This percentage nearly doubles when looking at believers of abductions — 32 percent of these individuals state that they or someone they know has had at least one Close Encounter.
The higher the interest level and psychological preparedness of the individual, the greater the likelihood that he/she has — or knows someone who has — personally experienced such phenomena in the form of a Close Encounter.
% Who Say They or Someone They Know Has Experienced At Least One Close Encounter Among Those Who …
- Are very interested in an extraterrestrial encounter: 28%
- Feel they are very or somewhat psychologically prepared for the discovery of extraterrestrial life: 16%
- Think the government does not share enough information with the public: 17%
- Believe the government does not tell us everything it knows about extraterrestrial life and UFOs: 16%
Four in Ten Americans Have Experienced At Least One of Five Events Associated With UFO Phenomena
While a number of unusual personal experiences arguably can be tied to UFO phenomena, believers of UFO abductions have identified five events that are of particular interest in examining whether UFO abductions may have actually taken place. These five events are highlighted in the list of unusual personal experiences shown below, and hereafter will be referred to as "key" events.
"Waking up paralyzed with a sense of a strange person or presence or something else in the room" tops the list of events that have ever been experienced. 18-to-64-year-olds are significantly more likely to make this claim than are those ages 65 and older (22 percent vs. 13 percent, respectively).
| Event | % Ever Experienced |
|---|---|
| Waking up paralyzed with a sense of a strange person or presence or something else in the room | 20 |
| Seeing a ghost | 15 |
| Feeling that you were flying through the air although you didn't know why or how | 14 |
| Feeling that you left your body | 13 |
| Seeing a strange figure — a monster, a devil, or some other frightening being — in your bedroom or closet or somewhere else | 13 |
| Finding puzzling scars on your body and neither you nor anyone else remembering how you received them or where you got them | 12 |
| Seeing unusual lights or balls of light in a room without knowing what was causing them, or where they came from | 10 |
| Experiencing a period of time of an hour or more, in which you were apparently lost, but neither you nor anyone else could remember why or where you had been | 8 |
| Having vivid dreams about UFOs | 5 |
In our analysis of the five "key" events, adults who responded affirmatively to a control question — "Heard or saw the word TRI-NERVER and knew that it had a secret meaning for you" — were excluded from the base of respondents. Only 1.2 percent of all adults claimed that this statement applies to them.
Four in ten (40 percent) Americans say that they have experienced at least one of the five key events. This is especially true of males, 18-to-24-year-olds, and individuals with incomes below $50,000.
The likelihood of having experienced at least one key event is significantly higher among those who believe in intelligent life and abductions, take an interest in extraterrestrial encounters, and think the government knows more than it's sharing.
% Who Say They Have Experienced at Least One Key Event, Among Those Who …
- Believe in intelligent life: 46%
- Are very/somewhat interested in an extraterrestrial encounter: 50%
- Believe in abductions: 54%
- Have had, or know someone who had, a Close Encounter: 58%
- Think the government does not share enough information with the public: 47%
- Believe the government does not tell us everything it knows about extraterrestrial life and UFOs: 47%
1.4 percent, or 2.9 Million Americans Have Experienced At Least Four of Five Key Events
Certain groups of individuals are more likely to claim that they have experienced at least four of the five key events. Significant differences emerge between specific age, income and regional groups, as follows:
- 18-to-24-year-olds (3%) vs. 65+ year-olds (0%)
- $20,000 – $29,999 income adults (3%) vs. $50,000+ income adults (<1%)
- Residents of the Northeast (2%) vs. residents of the West (0%)
Moreover, believers of abductions are significantly more inclined to have experienced four of five key events than are non-believers (4 percent vs. 1 percent, respectively). This same finding holds true for those who have experienced, or know someone who has experienced, a Close Encounter (5 percent) versus those who have not (1 percent).