"A recent study by Avi Loeb at Harvard University, and colleagues, surveyed 6,060 participants recruited through the Prolific research platform, which is widely used in behavioral research. The sample consisted largely of highly educated adults, many holding college or graduate degrees. Instead of asking a simple yes-or-no question about extraterrestrial intelligence, participants were asked to estimate the probability that intelligent extraterrestrial life exists somewhere in the universe."
"When researchers averaged the responses, participants' mean estimate was about 67%, suggesting that on average people believe intelligent extraterrestrial life is more likely than not to exist. About 95% of participants gave probability estimates greater than 50%, meaning they believed it is more likely than not that intelligent extraterrestrial life exists somewhere in the universe."
"The most striking finding in the study was not simply what people believed—it was what they thought others believed. After reporting their own probability estimate, participants were asked to estimate the probability that people in their social circles believed in extraterrestrial intelligence, revealing a massive perception gap."
A Harvard University study surveyed 6,060 highly educated adults about their beliefs in extraterrestrial intelligence. Participants estimated the probability of intelligent extraterrestrial life existing somewhere in the universe on a 0-100% scale. The average estimate was 67%, with approximately 95% of participants believing it more likely than not that such life exists. However, the most significant finding revealed a perception gap: participants believed their social circles held much lower confidence in extraterrestrial life than they actually did. This discrepancy suggests people underestimate how widespread these beliefs are among others, creating a false sense of social stigma that discourages open discussion despite widespread personal belief.
Read at Psychology Today
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]