Do Americans Actually Believe Life Exists in a Galaxy Far, Far Away?

Do Americans Actually Believe Life Exists in a Galaxy Far, Far Away?

Study Coincides with National Geographic Channel's World Premiere Special 'Extraterrestrial' - New Survey Shows Most Americans DO Believe in Life on Other Planets

WASHINGTON, May 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Following the record-breaking opening of the final Star Wars film, what do Americans really believe about life in galaxies far, far away? Does intelligent life exist anywhere besides Earth? Are regular churchgoers less likely to believe life has evolved on other planets? Do more Democrats or Republicans believe in extraterrestrials? And if alien life makes contact, what should we do?

These questions and more are answered in a new national survey released today. Almost two-thirds of Americans do believe that life exists on other planets, and of that group, 90% say if we receive a message from another planet we should reply.

The nationally representative telephone survey of 1,000 Americans -- 523 women and 477 men aged 18+ -- was conducted between April 20 and May 2, 2005 by the University of Connecticut's Center For Survey Research and Analysis (CSRA) in association with the SETI Institute (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) and National Geographic Channel (NGC). Commissioned by NGC, the survey is being released in advance of the world premiere special "Extraterrestrial," airing Monday, May 30 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. And during the show, viewers will also be able to text message their opinions about life on other planets. Results of the nationwide mobile poll will be revealed live on air at the end of "Extraterrestrial."

"It is quite likely that there is life elsewhere in our galaxy, and there's a real possibility that we will find evidence of intelligent extraterrestrial life by the year 2025," said Dr. Seth Shostak, a senior astronomer with the SETI Institute, and an expert featured in "Extraterrestrial." "In light of all the interest in alien life in movie theaters this past week, it is interesting that the majority of Americans truly believe extraterrestrial life exists on other planets."

Highlights of the national survey include:

Does life exist on other planets?

* 60% of Americans believe life exists on other planets

* More men than women believe life exists on other planets, 69% vs. 51%

* 72% of those who believe life exists on other planets would be "excited
and hopeful" upon learning that life had been found on other planets.

* Women are twice as likely as men to feel "nervous and afraid" if we
learn life exists -- 27% vs. 13%

* Men are more likely to feel excited and hopeful if we find life on other
planets -- 78% vs. 65%

What role does religion play in the belief in ET?

* People who are regular churchgoers are less-likely to believe in life on
other planets compared to non-churchgoers, 46% vs. 70%

What role does education play in your belief in ET?

* 63% of college graduates believe in life in outer space

Democrats vs. Republicans

* No filibuster here -- given the margin of error, Democrats and
Republicans are equally likely to believe in life on other planets

For those that do believe that life exists on other planets, what would ET
be like?

* 7 out of 10 Americans think the intelligent life forms on other planets
would be similar to humans

* 8 out of 10 Americans think it is likely that the intelligent life forms
on other planets are more advanced than us

* 7 out of 10 Americans think it is likely that these life forms have the
technology to travel through space

* 7 out of 10 Americans think that these life forms have the technology to
communicate across deep space

Should we respond if ET makes contact?

* 90% of Americans who believe life exists think we should communicate
back if we heard communications coming from another planet

* Of those who do not believe in life on other planets, if we should hear
something, 2/3 think we should respond

Complete survey results can be found on http://www.nationalgeographic.com/channel/extraterrestrial and http://www.seti.org/. The national survey has a +/- 3.2 percent chance of error.

"Extraterrestrial," premiering on NGC Monday, May 30 from 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT (encore Thursday, June 2 from 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), is a groundbreaking new show that creates two worlds which scientists believe could exist in our own Milky Way galaxy, putting evolution into motion to investigate what life forms could survive there. Utilizing a combination of computer generated imaging (CGI) and 3-D effects, "Extraterrestrial" takes viewers on a dazzling galactic journey to come face-to-face with these fantastic alien life forms.

"Extraterrestrial" reflects the contributions of leading scientists from NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration), prestigious universities and organizations like the Ecospheres Project and the SETI Institute. The experts anticipate discoveries to be made in the near future, when super-powerful new telescopes will begin examining nearby star systems of the Milky Way for signs of life.

Based at National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., the National Geographic Channel is a joint venture between National Geographic Television & Film (NGT&F) and Fox Cable Networks. National Geographic Channel debuted to an initial 10 million homes in January 2001, and has been one of the fastest growing networks in history. The Channel has carriage with all of the nation's major cable and satellite television providers, making it currently available to more than 53 million homes. For more information, please visit http://www.nationalgeographic.com/channel.

The mission of the SETI Institute is to explore, understand and explain the origin, nature and prevalence of life in the universe. For more information, please visit http://www.seti.org/jointeamseti/.

Source: National Geographic Channel

CONTACT: Russell Howard, +1-202-912-6652, RHoward@natgeochannel.com; or
for National Broadcast: Alanna Zahn, +1-212-852-7093, AZahn@natgeochannel.com;
or for National Print: Chris Albert, +1-202-912-6526,
CAlbert@natgeochannel.com; or for Photos: Chad Sandhas, +1-202-912-6632,
CSandhas@natgeochannel.com, all of National Geographic Channel; National
Broadcast: Cathy Saypol of CSPR, +1-212-288-8496, Saypolpr@aol.com; or for
National Print: Nord Wennerstrom, The Fratelli Group, +1-202-496-2124,
NWennerstrom@fratelli.com; or for National & Local Radio: Clare Hertel, Clare
Hertel Communications, +1-845-340-0731, CHertel@aol.com; or for Local Print:
Licet Ariza, The Fratelli Group, +1-202-496-2122, LAriza@fratelli.com, all for
National Geographic Channel

Web site: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/channel
http://www.seti.org/

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