Do you believe in UFOs? I know that I certainly do even though I have never even come close to seeing one. It is very hard for me to believe that in the billions of years that this universe has been around, there is not on species that has figured out interstellar travel. A new study that was released finds that 80 million Americans, or 36 percent of the population, believe UFOs are real and that 1 in 10 Americans believe that they have seen one.

Also the study found that if aliens were to invade the country sometime in the next four years, 65 percent of survey respondents said President Obama would be better suited for handling the invasion than Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. The survey was commissioned by the National Geographic Channel to promote its new series “Chasing UFOs.”

To me what is even more astounding than the fact that 36% believe, is that 48 percent aren’t sure. Which means that the perception of aliens visiting our planet is becoming more and more accepting as time goes on. The new NatGeo survey found that a whopping 79 percent of people think the government has kept information about UFOs a secret from the public, and more than half (55 percent) believe there are real-life “Men in Black”-style agents who threaten people who spot UFOs.

So to wrap it up, lots of people believe in aliens, and even more believe that the government is hiding secrets from us.

Photo courtesy of Paramount