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On
the eve of the release of "The Last Jedi", researchers published
findings that 47 percent of more than 26,000 respondents believe
"in the existence of intelligent alien civilizations in the
universe".
An even greater 61 percent 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
percent said we should try to seek contact with alien
civilizations, it found.
It was not the first survey to collect views on extraterrestrial
beings -- questionnaires in Germany, Britain and the United
States 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 civilizations 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
civilizations are not a marginal minority," he said.
The most believers in intelligent alien life were in Russia, at
68 percent, trailed closely by Mexico and China, with the
down-to-earth Dutch bottoming out the list at 28 percent, the
poll found [www.glocalities.com/universe].
The interviews were conducted in 15 languages between December
2015 and February 2016 in countries representing 62 percent of
the world's population and 80 percent of the global economy.
"The Last Jedi," the eighth installment of the blockbuster "Star
Wars" series, debuts in theaters next week.
(Reporting by Anthony Deutsch, editing by Larry King)
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