CBS News Poll: 63% of Americans Believe in Intelligent Extraterrestrial Life, 37% Do Not

A CBS News/YouGov poll conducted June 2-4, 2026, found that 63% of Americans believe intelligent life exists outside Earth. U.S. adults also recorded that 21% of respondents said humans have already had contact with extraterrestrials.

The same poll showed 84% of respondents believe the federal government knows more about UFOs than it has disclosed. Three in 10 respondents said the Trump administration’s May 2026 release of UFO files made them more likely to believe aliens have visited Earth. Forty percent of all respondents reported watching videos included in the federal UFO files.

Among those viewers, 40% said the material increased their belief that aliens have visited Earth. Seventeen percent of Americans said they have personally seen something they believe was a UFO. The poll found 67% of respondents would feel curious about meeting extraterrestrials, while 31% said they would be scared.

U.S. adults by gender, age, race, education, and 2024 presidential vote. 8 percentage points.