Unidentified flying object

:UFO redirects here. For other uses, see UFO (disambiguation).

UFOs and popular culture

Regardless of any ultimate explanation, UFOs constitute an international cultural phenomenon of the last half-century. Since the mid-1900's, UFOs have been the subject of a very large number of books, motion pictures, songs, documentaries and other media. UFO topics were amongst the most popular on early computer Bulletin board systems, and millions of people have some degree of interest in the subject. There have also been notable hoaxes involving UFO reports, some which have received substantial press attention.

Related Topics:
Book - Motion picture - Documentaries - Bulletin board system - Hoax - Press

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UFOs have played a role in tourism, such as in Roswell, New Mexico, site of a supposed UFO crash (see Roswell UFO incident).

Related Topics:
Tourism - Roswell, New Mexico - Roswell UFO incident

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A 1996 Gallup poll reported that 71% of the United States' population believed that the government was covering up some information about UFOs. Another Gallup poll in 2001 found that 33% of respondents "believe that extraterrestrials have visited the Earth sometime in the past." http://www.csicop.org/klassfiles/Home.html These two poll results may seem confusing or contradictory if one considers only the extraterrestrial hypothesis as an explanation for UFOs. The poll results may also simply suggest that a greater percentage of those polled believe that the U.S. Government has been less than forthright in regards to UFOs than accept the ETH.

Related Topics:
Gallup poll - United States - Government - Extraterrestrial hypothesis

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A 2002 Roper poll for the Sci Fi channel found similar results, but with more people believing UFOs were extraterrestrial craft. Again about 70% felt the government wasn't sharing everything it knew about UFOs or extraterrestrial life. But 56% thought UFOs were real craft and 48% that UFOs had visited the Earth. The younger a person was, the more likely they were to hold such beliefs. http://www.scifi.com/ufo/roper/

Related Topics:
Roper poll - Sci Fi channel

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Comprehensive review of opinion polls on UFOs since 1947

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