Aliens – we think they’re out there

AMSTERDAM: Nearly half of humans believe in alien life and want to make contact, a survey in 24 countries has found, in what researchers said helps to explain the lasting popularity of the Star Wars franchise 40 years after the first movie was screened.

On the eve of the release of The Last Jedi, – it opens in South Africa on Friday – researchers published findings that 47% of more than 26 000 respondents believe “in the existence of intelligent alien civilisations in the universe”.

An even greater 61% said “yes” when asked if they believe in “some form of life on other planets”. Roughly a quarter said they do not believe intelligent life exists beyond Earth, researchers at Glocalities said.

Among those who believe we are not alone in the universe, 60% said we should try to seek contact with alien civilisations, it found.

It was not the first survey to collect views on extraterrestrial beings – questionnaires in Germany, Britain and the US have found similar rates – but researchers said this was the largest poll of its kind with such global reach.

“The high score on the belief in the existence of intelligent alien civilisations and the distinct profile of these people partly explains the immense popularity of space movies such as Star Wars,” said research director Martijn Lampert.

“People who believe in the existence of intelligent alien civilisations are not a marginal minority,” he said.

The interviews were conducted in 15 languages between December 2015 and February 2016 in countries representing 62% of the world’s population and 80% of the global economy. – Reuters