Alberta Leads in Belief of UFOs - Education level may affect results by Ijeoma Ross, The Globe and Mail
It could be because a small town in northeastern Alberta is the
home of the world's first UFO landing pad, but, whatever the
explanation, Albertans are much more likely than other Canadians
to believe that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe, an
Angus Reid/Southam News Poll shows.
It could also be the influence of towns such as Vulcan, Alta.,
where an eight-meter-long copy of Star Trek's USS Enterprise
hovers above town, that makes more Albertans willing to believe
that Earth has already been visited by thinking aliens or that such a
visit will take place during their lifetimes.
Conducting the poll after the announcement that fossils of
primitive microbes were believed to have been found on a
meteorite from Mars, the Angus Reid Group found that 70 per
cent of Canadians believe it is likely there is intelligent life
elsewhere in the universe.
In Alberta, this belief in smart aliens soars to 83 per cent, followed
by British Columbia at 74 per cent. Most of the doubters were
found in Ontario and the Atlantic region, where only 67 per cent
believed.
Angus Reid senior vice-president John Wright said that although
he does not know of an earlier poll that asked similar questions, he
doubts there was ever a time before now when 70 per cent of
Canadians believed in life in outer space.
There is an entire generation out there that wasn't born when the
last man walked on the moon,' he said. 'For them, (space travel) is
a fait accompli.'
In the survey, 55 per cent of Canadians said Earth had already been
on the travel itinerary of some extraterrestrial and 43 per cent said
they expected it would happen during their lifetimes. Fourteen per
cent said a visit was very likely.
In Alberta, 67 per cent think a visitation has already taken place
and 52 per cent are waiting for it. The disbelievers were in
Manitoba and Saskatchewan, considered together for the survey,
and Ontario, where only half said aliens had come knocking on
Earth's door and 38 per cent said they have the interplanetary
welcome mat out.
More men than women, 74 to 67 per cent, believe there are
intelligent creatures on another planet, the poll showed.
At least some postsecondary education also predisposed,
respondents to agreeing that Earth is not the only planet supporting
intelligent life forms. Seventy-two per cent of people with some
education after high school thought there was probably life
elsewhere while only 62 per cent of those with less than
high-school education agreed.
Canadians 55 years and older are much more skeptical about
life beyond Earth and any interplanetary visitations.
The survey was done by telephone from August 27 to 30. By
contacting 1,501 people, Angus Reid says the national numbers
should be correct within 2.5 percentage points 95 per cent of the
time.
The margin of error for the regional samples are greater. For
Alberta, the numbers should be accurate within six percentage
points, Mr. Wright said.
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